Mammoth illustration from Lister 1995 (A. Lister and G. Bahn, Mammoths, Boxtree.) ..Mammoth footprints at Stanton Harcourt??

Stanton Harcourt  is one of the recommended type locality in the UK for Oxygen Isotope Stage 7 and is of archaeological and geological  interest.  Faunal evidence indicate that climatic conditions were akin to those of present day southern Europe but this site presents the unusual association of warm climate straight tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus with an unusually small species of Mammuthus.  The mammoth is not truly identified but is believed to be an adaptation of the cold climate Mammuthus primigenius or Mammuthus trogontherii and is referred to as the "Ilford type mammoth".
All evidence thus indicates that mammoth and elephant occupied this site concurrently and it has been suggested that, during the period represented by the Stanton Harcourt deposits, conditions were such that mammoth and straight-tusked elephant occupied separate, and ecologically different zones.

Because oxygen isotopes from the carbonate and phosphate fractions in mammal teeth generally reflect drinking water isotopic values , these mineral components may be used to reconstruct palaeoecological conditions.  The UV laser has been used to analyse oxygen isotopes from mammoth and elephant molars to determine what environmental conditions existed during tooth formation and whether these specimens shared a similar environment.   Preliminary data suggest a common environment.