Before Man: Prehistoric Life and Geology

of St. Louis City / County, Mo.

 

Fragment of a Mastodon Tooth.  Mastodons were hairy elephant-like creature that browsed on leaves. This specimen measures approximately 2 by 4 inches. They went extinct around 9000 B.C.  Both bones and teeth of Mastodons have been found in St. Louis. At Mastodon State Park in adjacent Jefferson County, a Paleo-Indian spear point was found associated with one Mastodon skeleton. The above was found in Florissant, Missouri by Scott Williams.

 

Giant Ground Sloths Walked in Florissant; Subartic Spruce Forrest Flourished in St. Louis County; Glacial Ice Covered Northern St. Louis County; Tropical Seas Once Covered the Entire Area.; Sharks and Giant Shark-like Creatures Hunted For Prey Across the Metro-Area; A Coral Reef at I-270 and Page Ave.;  From Thousands to Millions of Years Ago....

For Coverage of Early Human Occupation of Regional St. Louis, see section on American Indians.