WOOLLY MAMMOTH: Warmth and Hospitality

Best known of the Ice Age Mammals, Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) received her name from her outer layer of long hair. Underneath that layer, She had another dense inner layer of fur. To cope with the icy temperatures, Woolly Mammoth had a compact body, a high domed head and small ears.

Woolly Mammoth had a shorter but more flexible trunk than other Mammoths. At the end of her trunk was a finger-like appendage as well as another protuberance. She used these to gather grasses and other plants for eating.

The smallest of Mammoths, Woolly Mammoth had extra long tusks. These ornate twisting tusks had many uses. For example, She could dig up plants and clear snow with them. Also, Woolly Mammoth could fight off predators with her tusks by bashing the attacking animal with them. Her tusks were like tree rings, telling her age and life experience.

Meanwhile, Paleo-peoples used the tusks of Woolly Mammoth to construct their homes. Many of their houses were built from her large bones and woolly hides. In one homestead found in Ukraine, the skulls of Woolly Mammoths, placed in a semi-circle, formed the base walls. Then the jaws were used to erect the upper parts of the walls. For the entrance, they used the leg bones of Woolly Mammoth. She provided shelter for them on the flat, treeless plains.

The last known Mammoth lived about 4,000 years ago on a small island near Siberia during the Stone Age. Many people believe that Woolly Mammoth went extinct through overhunting. However others think that as the world’s climate became warm; She could not survive adequately on the new plants. Whatever the reason, Woolly Mammoth became the icon for extinction from overhunting during the Ice Age.

Woolly Mammoth exudes warmth and hospitality. Meeting others during migrations, She greets Them with touching and trumpeting with her trunk. Furthermore, Woolly Mammoth would wait for laggards as well, welcoming Them back into the herd.

Learn from Woolly Mammoth about proper hospitality and warmth. She teaches us how to care for and welcome others into our hearth and home. However do not so be taken advantage of that you end up giving up everything you have. You can be flexible but also wary.

(Note: update of post from 2010.)

Mastodon Family: Look Closer and Think.

Often confused with Mammoths, Mastodons (Mammutidae) are in their own family, since They split off from Elephants and Mammoths earlier. Therefore, there are many differences between the two Animals. Mastodons have larger and flatter brows than Mammoths. Moreover, They have paired low conical cusps for teeth, and upper jaw tusks. In addition, Mastodons are shorter and more muscular than Mammoths. Scientists have liken Them to a bus, whereas Mammoths are more like construction cranes.

Living side by side with Mammoths, Mastodons colonized Eurasia and North America about fifteen million years ago. As browsers, They preferred to live in spruce forests and open woodlands. During the winter, Mastodons had a double coat of fur to prevent Them from freezing in the icy cold. However, they preferred warmer climates to live in.

Fossil Mastodons have been found with full stomachs, indicating that They consumed about 500 pounds (1,000 kilos) of food each day. Since their enormous appetites drove Them to seek more and more food, Mastodons roamed the countryside endlessly searching for food. Mastodons tramped through forests to feast on moss and twigs of cedar, larch, pine, and spruce trees. Their hunger drove Them deeper into bogs and swamps in search of food, where They died.

Mastodons teach to look closer and think. Do not mistake Them for their cousins, the Mammoths. Examine the differences before making a judgment. If you do not ponder what you see, you may mindlessly end up stuck in a bog. Take care in what you do.

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Update from a previous 2010 posting

WOOLLY RHINOCEROS: Keeping Important Secrets

From 50,000 to 10,000 years ago, Woolly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) roamed throughout Europe and Northern Asia.  As detailed in many cave paintings, Woolly Rhinoceros was well-adapted to life in the Ice Age for He had an undercoat of thick fur and a top coat of shaggy hair.  To survive in the extreme conditions of the freezing cold, He also had a compact body.  In fact, Woolly Rhinoceros was stockier than Modern Rhinos.  (The modern Relative of Woolly Rhino is Sumatran Rhino, who has a light covering of fur.)

            As depicted on cave walls, Woolly Rhino is often shown leaning down scraping the ground with his horn.  When these horns of Woolly Rhinos were first found, people thought that they were the claws of giant Birds.  Made of compacted hair, these horns were flat unlike modern Rhinos, whose horns are rounder.  Living on the plains and in open woodlands, Woolly Rhino would sweep the snow away with his horn to uncover the grass underneath.

            Fossils of Woolly Rhino were found recently in 2011 on the Tibetan Plateau.  From examining these fossils, some scientists believe that He originated there during the Pliocene epoch about 3.6 million years ago.  Meanwhile, other fossils of Woolly Rhino were found near the Beringia land bridge on the Asian side.

            One major mystery that is puzzling to scientists is why Woolly Rhino did not cross over to North America.  What was so different between Asia and North America?  So far, Woolly Rhino has not told anyone why He did not migrate any farther.

            Behind a thin veil of mystery, Woolly Rhino keeps his secrets.  We may know nearly everything about Him, but there are still some things He keeps to Himself.  We know what Woolly Rhino ate, lived, and other facts but we do not know why He did not migrate to North America.  He keeps his own counsel about these things. We may never find out why Woolly Rhino decided to remain where He was.  Learn from Woolly Rhino how to keep important secrets from prying people. 

SABER-TOOTHED CAT (Smilodon): Stop Excessive Worry

One of the icons of the Ice Age, Smilodon (Saber-toothed Cat) was well-known for her long canines called “saber-teeth”.  Because of the huge quantity of fossils remains found at Rancho La Brea tar deposits in Los Angeles, California, this Cat has become one of the best known Mammals of the Pleistocene period (two million years ago to 10,000 years ago).  She had come to feast on the Mammoths who became trapped in the tar.  Many of the fossils found in the tar pits suggest that Smilodon lived in families, since some of the bones were of crippled or arthritic Cats.  This indicates that Smilodon cared for these infirmed members of her pride.

Besides her distinctive teeth, Smilodon had other notable characteristics such as a short tail. Unlike other Cats, Smilodon did not use her tail for balance.  Also, She could roar like a Lion and startle her prey into confusion before killing them.

When fossils of Smilodon were first discovered, many people immediately imagined a terrible monster that had come to life.  Called a “Tiger”, Smilodon supposedly terrorized everyone including cave people with her monster teeth and claws.  She became a scary monster from the past who stalked the grasslands of time and into our dreams.

However, Smilodon is a victim of our wild imagining.  Since many of us are classic worriers, we usually picture the worst.  When we finally confront the reality, we realize that our worries were small and silly.  When you start to worry excessively, you need to recall that Smilodon cared for those less fortunate. The terrifying monster of our imagination turns out to be a devoted family member.  Stop your excessive worrying commands Smilodon, and calm down.

SCIMITAR CAT FAMILY (Homotheriae): Wholeness

The Machairodontinae (Saber-toothed Cat) Sub-family was split into three groups, one of which was the Scimitar Cat Family (Homotheriae).  This group was named for their long canines which resembled curved swords (scimitars).  Living during the Pleistocene epoch (five million years ago to half a million years ago), Scimitar Cats were contemporaries of the more famous Smilodons.  Although They were less abundant than Saber-toothed Cats, Scimitar Cats had a greater range.  While Smilodons lived only in the New World, Scimitar Cats ranged from Africa, Eurasia, and North America.

            As large as modern Lions, Scimitar Cats looked like a cross between a Cheetah and a Hyena.  Sleek as a Cheetah, Scimitar Cats had a hyena-like body.  This enabled Them to chase prey over long distances, and then pounce much like Hyenas.

            In caves, many bones of Scimitar Cats were found amongst those of baby Mammoths.  This demonstrates that Scimitar Cats probably lived and hunted in packs.  The adults would kill the Mammoths, and then drag the carcasses back to the caves.  There the elderly and young would feast along with the adults.

            Scimitar Cats are both tough and tender.  Terrors to their prey, Scimitar Cats are gentle to their own kind.  Displaying their two sides, Scimitar Cats show that we are neither all good nor all bad but both.  To be a complete being, we need to accept both of our selves.  Let Scimitar Cats show you how embrace the wholeness of self.  You can be tough and tender as long as you accept who you are.

SABER-TOOTHED CAT (Machairodontinae) SUB-FAMILY: Urban Legends

Scientists usually divide the Cat (Felids) Family into two major groups – True Cats and Saber-toothed Cats.  Since Cat evolution is murky at times, various cat-like animals have been sketched in to complete the line.  One problem with this is that in prehistory the popular body type for cat-like carnivores was a stocky one with saber teeth.

            The major characteristic of the Saber-toothed Cat Sub-family is their long canines (saber teeth).  Because these specialized teeth could break on bone, these Felids, usually wrestled their prey to the ground before killing the unfortunate animal.  To be successful predators, They also had unusually powerful forelimbs.

            Saber-toothed Cats were further divided into Dinofelis (an early Felid), Megantereon (predecessor to Smilodon), Scimitar Cat (Homotherium), Smilodon (Saber-toothed Cat) and Xenosmilus (found in Florida).  The body types of Machairodontinae ranged from the hyena-like Scimitar Cats to the more massive Smilodons.  These Felids were a successful group of carnivores who dominated in prehistoric times.  First emerging during the Miocene epoch (eight million years ago), Saber-toothed Cat Sub-family went extinct about 10,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age.  Climate change, the expanding grasslands, and smaller faster prey spelt the end of this Sub-family.

            At one time, the reason given for the demise of these Felids was that their long teeth evolved to become too long.  Either these Predators could not close their mouths or their teeth grew into their jaws.  However, all these reasons together comprise an urban legend.

            Like all urban legends, it may seem true at first glance, and make logical sense.  However, when you start to look into the matter, you first grasp that these Felids were never Rodents (whose teeth grow throughout their lives).  Upon further reflection, the idea that Saber-toothed Cat Sub-family could not close their mouths is utter nonsense.

            The Saber-toothed Cat Sub-family invites us to examine closely anything that seems to be true.  We should not accept things on face value and repeat them.  Like urban legends that spread like wildfire by unthinking people, we tend to repeat what nonsense we hear.  Like these predators, we need to be skeptical of everything that does not make sense.  “If it does not make sense, then it is not true.” --Judge Judith Sheindlin.

WOOLLY MAMMOTH: Warmth and Hospitality

Best known of the Ice Age Mammals, Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) received her name from her outer layer of long hair.  Underneath that layer, She had another dense inner layer of fur.  To cope with the icy temperatures, Woolly Mammoth had a compact body, a high domed head and small ears.

            Woolly Mammoth had a shorter but more flexible trunk than other Mammoths.  At the end of her trunk was a finger-like appendage as well as another protuberance.  She used these to gather grasses and other plants for eating.

The smallest of Mammoths, Woolly Mammoth had extra long tusks.  These ornate twisting tusks had many uses.  For example, She could dig up plants and clear snow with them.  Also, Woolly Mammoth could fight off predators with her tusks by bashing with them.

            Meanwhile, Paleo-peoples used the tusks of Woolly Mammoth to construct their homes.  Many of their homes were built from her large bones and woolly hides.  In one homestead, the skulls of Woolly Mammoths, placed in a semi-circle, formed the base walls.  Then the jaws were used to erect the upper parts of the walls. For the entrance, they used the leg bones of Woolly Mammoth.

The last known Mammoth lived about 4,000 years ago on a small island near Siberia during the Stone Age.  Many people believe that Woolly Mammoth went extinct through overhunting. However others think that as the world’s climate became warm; She could not survive adequately on the new plants.  Whatever the reason, Woolly Mammoth became the icon for extinction from overhunting during the Ice Age.

            Woolly Mammoth exudes warmth and hospitality.  Meeting others during migrations, She greets Them with touching and trumpeting with her trunk.  Furthermore, Woolly Mammoth would wait for laggards as well, welcoming Them back into the herd. 

            Learn from Woolly Mammoth about proper hospitality and warmth.  She teaches us how to care for and welcome others into our hearth.  However do not so be taken advantage of that you end up giving up everything you have.