Wooly Mammoth
Common Name-Mammuthus; Scientific Name-Mammuthus Primigenius
Geologic Time Scale
They lived about 200,000 years ago.
Where did they live?
Eastern Asia
What Group was this creature in?
Mammoth Species
Wooly Mammoth Characteristics
- Roughly the same size as African Elephants
- Males reached shoulder heights between 9 and 11 ft
- Weighed up to 6.6 tons
- A newborn calf weighed about 200 pounds
- Well adapted to the cold environment during the ice age
- It was covered in fur, with an outer covering of long guard hairs and a shorter undercoat
- The ears and tail were short to minimize frostbite
- Long, curved tusks and four molars (which were replaced six times during the lifetime)
- Behavior was similar to modern elephants, and it used its tusks and trunk for manipulating objects, fighting, and foraging
- The diet of the woolly mammoth was mainly grass and hedges
- They could reach the age of 60
Interesting Facts
- Cave paintings show the important relationships with Wooly Mammoths
- Drank between 16 to 40 gallons of water a day
- Consumed between 130 to 660 pounds of food a day
- They do not get their teeth until they are 6 years old
- Early humans used their bones and tusks for tools
Jack Hartsell