How To Make a Mammoth

1. The molds are "painted" with layers of fiberglass cloth and resin. These sections of the lower jaw and a tusk and lower jaw await the completion of additional parts before assembly.

2. Two leg bones are mounted together with a steel armature. The enormous size of a mammoth becomes evident.

3. Freshly painted to look like a bone, the femur is placed into position in the hip socket.

4. To test that all parts fit together properly, the skeleton is assembled. Then the mammoth is then taken apart for shipping and packed carefully into crates. Inside the crates, foam layers protect the skeletal segments.

5. In late November 2003, the skeleton arrives at the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines.

6. Museum staff unload the five large crates and count the individual segments of the skeleton.

7. The backbone is readied for installation.

8. Museum staff lift the skull out of its foam protection and move it into position.

9. The segmented tail is lifted into position.

10. Finally, the last tusk is guided into place in the left alveoli.

11. The test assembly of the mammoth is now complete. Everything fits together perfectly. Final measurements can now be taken so that the casework can be designed and built for the exhibit.

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