What is a mammoth ?
A mammoth is a large elephant-like animal called “proboscideans”, which lived around 4,500 years ago in the Pleistocene, Pliocene and Holocene epochs. These animals are part of the genus Mammuthus, which have probably been made extinct by humans. Just like elephants, mammoths are herbivorous consuming up to 250 kilograms of fresh vegetables daily.
Mammoths lived during the Ice Age, but survived through the cold weather due to their long and shaggy hair. Mammoths have large tusks, which they use in defending themselves from predators like humans, felines and canids. However, mammoths became extinct when humans hunted them down and when their habitats changed.
Around eleven mammoth species have been discovered and recognized: Columbian mammoth, wooly mammoth, South African mammoth, Pygmy mammoth, Imperial mammoth, African mammoth, Steppe mammoth, Southern mammoth, Songhua River mammoth, Jeffersonian mammoth and Sardinian dwarf mammoth.
Although the term mammoth is used in describing an object with a massive size, the actual sizes of mammoths are similar to modern elephants. However, the largest known mammoth called the Imperial Mammoth of California measured 16 feet and weighed 13 tons. The typical size of a mammoth is similar to elephants found in Asia.
