LONG FRAMED MAMMOTH HAIR
Mammuthus columbi
Pleistocene
Alaska
This is a particularly long and impressive specimen of the wooly mammoth's hair. Their thick shaggy coat could grow up to 35 inches long, and as with many other furred creatures it comprised two layers: a thick outer "guard" layer of coarser hair, like a fur coat, over the more downy undercoat that provided insulation. Furthermore, the mammoth's skin contained numerous sebaceous glands which secreted greasy fat into the hair to improve further its insulating qualities, and provide it with a glossy sheen. This display includes mostly long, thick strands of the outer layer, but also some of the finer undercoat, in a glazed wooden frame ready for hanging, 29 1/8 x 6 6/8 inches.