mammoth

Mammoth refers to several extinct species of the genus Mammuthus, an extinct group of proboscideans closely related to elephants. The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) is the best known species; other species included Columbian mammoth (M. columbi) and steppe mammoth (M. trogontherii). They inhabited vast parts of North America, Europe, and Asia during the Pleistocene, often in cold, open environments.

They were large, with bodies comparable to modern elephants. Woolly mammoths stood roughly 2.7–3.4 meters tall at the shoulder and weighed up to 6–8 metric tons. They had long, curved tusks and a thick coat of shaggy hair with an undercoat, adapted for cold climates. The trunk, tusks, and teeth suited grazing and foraging on grasses, sedges, and shrubs.

Fossil evidence indicates they lived in herds, with social structure led by older females. Calves depended on the herd for several years. They migrated seasonally and used their tusks to dig for food or to clear snow.

Extinction occurred near the end of the Pleistocene and into the early Holocene, with populations collapsing due to climate change and human hunting. Mainland woolly mammoths disappeared around 10,000 years ago, while isolated groups persisted on Wrangel Island and other refugia until about 4,000 years ago. Fossils and well-preserved carcasses found in permafrost have greatly informed paleontological and climatic research. Advances in ancient DNA have produced mammoth genomes, enabling comparisons with elephants and providing insight into adaptation to cold environments.