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Woolly Mammoth

Mammuthus Primigenius

Last updated: February 15, 2021
Verified by: AZ Animals Staff
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  4. Woolly Mammoth

Tusks grew to 16ft long!

Continue Reading after the facts...


Woolly Mammoth Scientific Classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Proboscidea
Family
Elephantidae
Genus
Mammuthus
Scientific Name
Mammuthus Primigenius

Woolly Mammoth Conservation Status

  • Extinct

Woolly Mammoth Locations

  • Ocean
Woolly Mammoth Locations

Woolly Mammoth Facts

Main Prey
Grasses, Twigs, Rushes
Distinctive Feature
Long, thick hair and enormous tusks
Habitat
Arctic Tundra
Predators
Sabre-toothed cats and humans
Diet
Herbivore
Average Litter Size
1
Lifestyle
  • Herd
Favorite Food
Grasses
Type
Mammal
Slogan
Tusks grew to 16ft long!

Woolly Mammoth Physical Characteristics

Colour
  • Brown
  • Black
  • Tan
Skin Type
Hair
Lifespan
60 - 80 years
Weight
8000kg (8.8tons)
Height
1.8m - 4m (6ft - 13ft)

Woolly Mammoth Images

Click through all of our Woolly Mammoth images in the gallery.

View all of the Woolly Mammoth images!




The woolly mammoth was an enormous mammal that once roamed the vast frozen, northern landscapes in large size. Believed to be closely related to the modern-day elephant, the woolly mammoth remained in the wild until roughly 1700 BC when it became extinct.

The woolly mammoth was found roaming the bitter Arctic tundra where they would often gather in large herds for both warmth and protection. Woolly mammoths lived in two groups which are thought to have been different enough to be characterized as separate subspecies. One woolly mammoth group stayed in the middle of the high Arctic, while the other woolly mammoth group had a much wider range.

The woolly mammoth was an enormous animal, with adults often reaching heights of four meters or more. Woolly mammoths in certain areas were on average, slightly smaller in size and could in fact be just half the size of one of the largest woolly mammoth individuals.

As elephants do today, the woolly mammoth had enormous tusks which would have been used for both digging and collecting food, and for intimidating and fighting off both predators and rivals. The tusks of the woolly mammoth were often quite dramatically curved and could easily be up to 5 meters (16ft) long.

Like the African and Asian elephants still found roaming the small parts of the planet today, the woolly mammoth was a herbivorous animal meaning that it survived on a purely plant-based diet. Woolly mammoths would have eaten similar vegetation to modern-day elephants, browsing the forests for leaves, fruits, nuts, twigs and berries.

Due to the sheer size of the woolly mammoth, it had only one real predator in its natural environment which was sabre-toothed cats that would often hunt the smaller woolly mammoth calves. Other than human hunters that quickly wiped out the woolly mammoth populations in vast areas of the Arctic tundra, the rapidly melting ice had an enormous impact on their demise.

Although little is really known about the reproduction of woolly mammoths, it is quite likely that in a similar way to elephants, the female woolly mammoth would have given birth to a single woolly mammoth calf after a nearly year long (maybe even longer) gestation period. Woolly mammoths are thought to have had quite a long lifespan, getting to an average of 70 years old.

It was generally assumed that the last woolly mammoths vanished from Europe and Southern Siberia in around 8,000 BC, with the last of the isolated woolly mammoth populations vanishing from Wrangel Island, located in the Arctic Ocean in around 1700 BC.

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Woolly Mammoth FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) 

Are Woolly Mammoths herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores?

Woolly Mammoths are Herbivores, meaning they eat plants.

What Kingdom do Woolly Mammoths belong to?

Woolly Mammoths belong to the Kingdom Animalia.

What phylum to Woolly Mammoths belong to?

Woolly Mammoths belong to the phylum Chordata.

What phylum to Woolly Mammoths belong to?

Woolly Mammoths belong to the phylum Chordata.

What family do Woolly Mammoths belong to?

Woolly Mammoths belong to the family Elephantidae.

What order do Woolly Mammoths belong to?

Woolly Mammoths belong to the order Proboscidea.

What genus do Woolly Mammoths belong to?

Woolly Mammoths belong to the genus Mammuthus.

What type of covering do Woolly Mammoths have?

Woolly Mammoths are covered in Hair.

In what type of habitat did Woolly Mammoths live?

Woolly Mammoths lived in the arctic tundra.

What was the main prey for Woolly Mammoths?

Woolly Mammoths ate grasses, twigs, and rushes.

What were some predators of Woolly Mammoths?

Predators of Woolly Mammoths included saber-toothed cats and humans.

What were some distinguishing features of Woolly Mammoths?

Woolly Mammoths had long, thick hair and enormous tusks.

How many babies do Woolly Mammoths have?

The average number of babies a Woolly Mammoth has is 1.

What is an interesting fact about Woolly Mammoths?

The tusks of Woolly Mammoths grew to 16ft long!

What is the scientific name for the Woolly Mammoth?

The scientific name for the Woolly Mammoth is Mammuthus Primigenius.

What was the lifespan of a Woolly Mammoth?

Woolly Mammoths lived for 60 to 80 years.

What was the lifespan of a Woolly Mammoth?

Woolly Mammoths lived for 60 to 80 years.

Sources
  1. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2011) Animal, The Definitive Visual Guide To The World's Wildlife
  2. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals
  3. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia
  4. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species
  5. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2008) Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Animals
  6. Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals
  7. David W. Macdonald, Oxford University Press (2010) The Encyclopedia Of Mammals

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