Press Releases

Visitors to National Museum Cardiff this half term will have the chance to vote on their favourite name for the museum’s newest resident; a 3D printed replica of a mammoth skeleton which now lives in the museum’s main hall. 
 

Since launching the competition at the beginning of the summer holidays, visitors to both National Museum Cardiff and to the museum’s website have been given the chance to suggest and submit names for the mammoth. After receiving more than 1400 suggestions, a panel has whittled down the names to the top three.   
 

The three names selected for the shortlist are: 

1. 1) Morus
    
2. 2) Macsen
   
   3) Tom Bones 
    

Members of the public are now invited to visit the museum to cast their vote and help choose the winning name of the mammoth.   
 

Mared Maggs, Head of National Museum Cardiff said: 
 

“We were blown away by all the entries we received and we’d like to thank everybody that submitted their entry. Whittling down over 1400 to just three wasn’t an easy decision. 

 We encourage everybody who’s in Cardiff this half term to visit the museum to cast your vote and help decide our mammoth’s name.” 
 

Voting for the final name opens on Saturday 25 October and will run throughout half term until Sunday 2 November. Only visitors to National Museum Cardiff can vote and will need to place a token in the bucket of the name they prefer.  
 

Amgueddfa Cymru’s exhibitions and public engagements programme is made possible thanks to players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. Alongside the mammoth, this includes exhibitions currently running at National Museum Cardiff including Picture Post and Hip Hop: A Welsh Story.  
 

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: 
 

"It's brilliant to see so many people getting involved in the ‘Name our Mammoth’ campaign and the creativity it has inspired. The mammoth skeleton is incredible and has clearly captured the imaginations of visitors. I am so pleased that support from our players has helped make this possible and would encourage everyone to visit National Museum Cardiff this half term to cast their vote." 
 

The winning name will be announced by Amgueddfa Cymru in November. 
 

ENDS 

For more information and images, please contact:  

Carwyn Evans, Communications Officer, Museum Wales carwyn.evans@amgueddfacymru.ac.uk 

NOTES TO EDITORS: 

- Mammoths lived alongside humans (Homo sapiens and Neanderthals), and humans hunted them to eat and provide skins and fur for clothing, huts, etc. 

- In Britain, mammoths lived alongside woolly rhinos, giant deer, hyenas, cave bear and horses.   

- Woolly mammoths were one of several different mammoths that existed in the past, with a different species living in North America. 

- Woolly mammoths reached up to 3.5m height at the shoulder.  

-Woolly mammoth tusks had a slight spiral as well as being curved. 

-Woolly mammoths had to eat up to 180kg of plant food daily, foraging for up to 20 hours a day. 

-The mammoth was made by 3D scanning the twin of our skeleton that is on display at the Discovery Centre in Craven Arms, Shropshire. 

- The bones and tusks were then 3D printed and painted to look like bone.  

Amgueddfa Cymru belongs to everyone and is here for everyone to use.   

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