The distribution of the genus Mammuthus in Mexico

The study of 872 publications from the 19th and 20th centuries on fossil and archaeological mammals of Mexico, compiled in an electronic database, indicates that mammoths (Mammalia, Proboscidea, Elephantidae) have been recorded in at least 240 different papers. The earliest records go back to the 16th century. To date, mammoths are known from 271 localities located in 24 states; and have not been recorded from the states of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco, Guerrero, Colima, Nayarit and Baja California. The Estado de Mexico has the largest number of findings (28.4%), followed by the Distrito Federal (11.4%), both in the central region of the country. The southernmost record is located in Villa Flores in the state of Chiapas. Mammoth records in Mexico account for a Neartic distribution of the taxon. The mammoth species mentioned in the literature for Mexico are five: Mammuthus columbi, M. hayi, M. imperator, M. primigenius, and M. sonoriensis. However, a detailed study of the museum specimens is required in order to establish the actual species occurring in Mexico and their distribution.