Woolly Mammoths

It is hot and dry in California’s desert. Under a tent, scientists dig in the sand. They are looking for mammoths, giant elephant-like creatures. But the scientists are not looking for living mammoths. Mammoths died out about 4,000 years ago. These scientists are paleontologists. They study past life on Earth. They learn by looking at fossils, the hardened tracks or remains of animals. Paleontologists have studied fossils of mammoths found all over the world.