Abruzzo
Mammuthus meridionalis
Mammoth skeleton
Description
The skeleton of Mammuthus meridionalis was discovered in 1954 in a clay quarry near Madonna della Strada, in the municipality of Scoppito (Aquila), and was subsequently recovered and restored by the Institute of Palaeontology at the University of Rome “La Sapienza.”
The specimen, which has only its right tusk, was reassembled in 1960 and displayed in the eastern bastion of the 16th-century castle in L'Aquila where it remains to this day. The most recent restoration work, carried out between 2013 and 2015 following the 2009 earthquake, enabled the determination of the skull’s actual morphology, which had been completely reconstructed on the right side due to damage sustained during recovery, and to clarify its taxonomic position.
A further discovery on the skull made this specimen unique: at the site of the missing tusk’s alveolus, hidden beneath an extensive layer of restorative material, was a deep erosion of the bone, likely caused by an infection that led to the loss of the tusk while the specimen was still alive. The presence of regenerated bone tissue confirmed that the specimen had survived the traumatic event and the resulting pathology.
Classification and size comparison
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: †Mammuthus
Species: †Mammuthus meridionalis
Nesti, 1825
Modified from “Mammuthus Size comparison.png” evidence for the reconstruction of FunkMonk, Wikimedia Commons,
licensed under CC BY‑SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
Geologic Time Scale
- ERA: Cenozoic
- PERIOD: Neogene
- EPOCH: Pleistocene
- ETÀ: Calabriano (1.8-0.78 Ma)
Site of discovery
Madonna della Strada, Scoppito (AQ)
Display location
Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Forte Spagnolo, L’Aquila
Gallery
Video presentation of the exhibition on Mammuthus meridionalis at the Forte Spagnolo (Spanish fortress).
Courtesy of the Ministero della Cultura – Museo Nazionale d’Abruzzo –
L’Aquila
Various views of the specimen inside the exhibition space at the Forte Spagnolo in L'Aquila. The right tusk of the specimen is a cast; the original, due to its great weight, has been placed on the floor in front of it.
Close-up of the right front paw.
The Mammuthus, like other proboscideans, is a digitigrade mammal. However, due to their great weight, elephants have a fleshy pad behind their phalanges that increases the contact surface and helps distribute their weight more effectively onto the ground.
Paleoart corner
Paleoartistic reconstruction of the skeleton in anatomical position and the possible appearance of Mammuthus meridionaliswhen alive, along with the paleoenvironment of the time.
Video produced by Fabio Manucci under the supervision of Dr. Maria Rita Copersino.
Courtesy of the Ministero della Cultura – Segretariato Regionale per l’Abruzzo.
Bibliography:
- Agostini S., Rossi M.A. & Tallini M. (2014). Geologia e paleontologia del Quaternario nel territorio
aquilano. Collection de l’Ecole Francaise de Rome, 494: 7 -19. - Ambrosetti P., Azzaroli A., Bonadonna F.P. & Follieri M. (1972). A scheme of Pleistocene
chronology for the Thyrrhenian side of central Italy. Bollettino della Società Geologica Italiana,
91: 169-184. - Azzaroli A. (1977). Evolutionary patterns of Villafranchian elephants in Central Italy. Atti
dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Memorie Classe Scienze Fisiche, 14: 149–168 - Della Salda L., Rossi M.A., Agostini S., Cuomo A., Palombo M.R. & Fornaciari G. (2015).
Paleopathological study of Mammuthus meridionalis of Madonna della Strada (Scoppito,
L’Aquila). Patologica, 107: 215-216. - Maccagno A.M. (1958). Relazione sulla tecnica di scavo, restauro e montaggio dell’elefante
fossile rinvenuto presso l’Aquila. Annuario delle Istituzioni d’Alta Cultura dell’Aquila, 2: 124-128. - Maccagno A.M. (1962). L’Elephas meridionalis Nesti di Contrada “Madonna della Strada”,
Scoppito (L’Aquila). Atti dell’Accademia di Scienze Fisiche e Naturali, Napoli, 4: 1-129. - Magri D., Di Rita F. & Palombo M.R. (2010). An Early Pleistocene interglacial record from an
intermontane basin of central Italy (Scoppito, L’Aquila). Quaternary International, 225: 106-113. - Romano M., Antonelli M., Palombo M.R., Rossi M.A. & Agostini S. (In press). Drone testing for 3D
reconstruction of massive mounted skeletons in museums: the case of Mammuthus meridionalis
(Nesti 1825) from Madonna della Strada (Scoppito, L’Aquila, Italy). Historical Biology. - Rossi M.A., Agostini S., Palombo M.R., Angelini I., Caramiello S., Casarin F., Ghezzo E., Marano F.,
Molin G., Reggiani P., Sangati C., Santello L., Socrate G. & Vinciguerra E. (2017) The Mammuthus
meridionalis from Madonna della Strada (Scoppito, L’Aquila): diagnostics and restoration.
Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana, 56: 359-373.
Credits and acknowledgments
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Federica Zalabra, director of the National Museum of Abruzzo, and Dr. Annalisa Scimia for sharing the multimedia material used on this page.
Reproduction, distribution, or any other use is prohibited without prior authorization from the rights holders.
We would also like to thank Dr. Maria Rita Copersino and Dr. Matteo Pisi of the Regional Secretariat for Abruzzo for their support and cooperation.