PRELIMINARY REPORT ON A PATHOLOGICAL BISON ANTIQUUS SKELETON FROM WOODBURN, OREGON, EXCAVATED AS PART OF A HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Presenters

Ellingson, David, Woodburn High School, Woodburn OR

Davis, Edward Byrd, University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Eugene OR

Flores, Odulia, Woodburn High School , Woodburn OR

For the last 10 years, students at Woodburn High School have had the opportunity to examine the geology and paleontology of the abundant late Pleistocene sediments found on campus in Woodburn, Oregon. Depositional sources include an ancient peat bog, forest remains, and Missoula Flood deposits. In September 2008, the skeletal remains of an ancient bison (Bison antiquus) were found in the Missoula Flood deposits layer, estimated at 12,200 years old. Elements found include the entire right posterior limb, the right ulna and radius, left humerus, most of the vertebral column, the pelvis and sacrum, many ribs and their fragments, and both scapulae. Estimating from the recovered elements, the bison was 2.4 to 2.7 meters in height. The skull has not been recovered, but a dig has been planned for September 2009 to recover the skull, if present, and remaining bones. One of the most interesting features of this skeleton is the large bone cancer growth on the metatarsals. The cancerous growth has fused these bones and would have immobilized the animal. The excavation of this bison has only been accomplished through the involvement of Woodburn High School students, providing an opportunity to give them hands-on lessons concerning- the geologic past, scientific inquiry, and fossil preservation.