Woolly Mammoth
Mammuthus primigenius
Conservation Status
Data DeficientMammalia · Proboscidea · Elephantidae
About
The woolly mammoth is an extinct species of mammoth that lived from the Middle Pleistocene until its extinction in the Holocene epoch. It was one of the last in a line of mammoth species, beginning with the African Mammuthus subplanifrons in the early Pliocene. The woolly mammoth began to diverge from the steppe mammoth about 800,000 years ago in Siberia. Its closest extant relative is the Asian elephant. The Columbian mammoth lived alongside the woolly mammoth in North America, and DNA studies show that the two hybridised with each other. Mammoth remains were long known in Asia before they became known to Europeans. The origin of these remains was long debated and often explained as the remains of legendary creatures. The mammoth was identified as an extinct elephant species by Georges Cuvier in 1796.
Fun Fact
The study also found that genetic adaptations to cold environments, such as hair growth and fat deposits, were already present in the steppe mammoth lineage and were not unique to woolly mammoths.
Quick Facts
Habitat
To be updated
Diet
Eat 180 kg (400 lb) daily and may have foraged as long as 20 hours every day.
Lifespan
560 years
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance