The Lier mammoth is the skeleton of a mammoth that was found in 1860 near the Dungelhoeffkazerne in Lier in the Province of Antwerp of Belgium, while digging the diversion canal of the Nete.[1] Its importance was recognised by a military doctor stationed in Lier, François-Joseph Scohy, and the skeleton was excavated, mounted and in 1869 for the first time shown to the public. This was the first skeleton of a mammoth found in Western Europe. Only the museum of Saint Petersburg was in possession of a mammoth skeleton. Since the skeleton is not complete, some bones were recreated in wood.
 Skeleton in the RBINS | |
| Common name | Lier mammoth |
|---|---|
| Species | Woolly mammoth |
| Age | c. 38,500 years |
| Place discovered | Lier, Antwerp, Belgium |
| Date discovered | 1860 |
Today, the skeleton is preserved in the museum of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels. Since 2018 a 3D printed replica is present at Lier city museum.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Our Natural Selection - The Lier Mammoth. YouTube.
- ^ "De Mammoet van Lier keert na 150 jaar terug naar huis". Materialise.
Sources
edit- Sur les ossements fossiles Découverts à Lierre le 28 Fevrier 1860, les Bulletins de l'Académie Royale de Belgique, 2e série, tome IX, n. 5
- 250 Years of Natural Sciences
- Le Mammouth de Lier[permanent dead link]