Woolly mammoth

The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) is a species of mammoth that lived from the Pleistocene period until the last ones died in the Holocene epoch. Woolly mammoths are now extinct, so we cannot see them anymore. They were large elephants which lived during the ice ages. The animal is known from bones and frozen carcasses from northern North America and northern Eurasia. The best-preserved carcasses (including Yuka) were found in Siberia. These mammoths are perhaps the most well known and most iconic species of mammoth. This mammoth species was first recorded in deposits of a former glaciation in Eurasia, perhaps 150,000 years ago.Lister A.M.; Sher A.V.; Van Essen H.; Wei G. 2005. The pattern and process of mammoth evolution in Eurasia. Quaternary International. 126–128: 49–64.  Their closest living relatives are Asian elephants.

Woolly mammoths coexisted with early humans, who hunted them, and their bones and tusks were used as tools, and dwellings. Mammoths were also hunted for food. The species disappeared from most of its range at the end of the Pleistocene (10,000 years ago), but a dwarfed race and small populations still lived on Wrangel Island until about 1700 BC.

Cave paintings of the woolly mammoth have been found in caves in France and Spain. 

 Description 

 Height 
Male mammoths can reach between 2.67 and 3.49 m (8 ft 9 in and 11 ft 5 in) and weigh between 3.9 and 8.2 t (3.8 and 8.1 long tons; 4.3 and 9.0 short tons). Females can reach 2.3–2.6 m (7 ft 7 in – 8 ft 6 in) in shoulder heights and weigh between 2.8–4 t (2.8–3.9 long tons; 3.1–4.4 short tons). A calf weighs about 90 kg (200 lb).

 Coat 
A woolly mammoth's coat could easily adapt to the chilly conditions during glacial periods. This coat was covered with thick fur to keep themselves warm in the cold weather. 

 Resurrection 

Scientists are currently working to resurrect this mammoth (make it no longer extinct). In 2003, the Pyrenean ibex (also called a bucardo) was briefly resurrected when a clone of it was made, but the clone died several minutes after birth due to a lung defect. This success has made some people hopeful that cloning could work for woolly mammoths as well, but many other problems would need to be solved first.

 Notable specimens 


 Yuka the mammoth 

Yuka is a preserved woolly mammoth discovered by local Siberian tusk hunters in August 2010 and also had a broken hind leg, which likely occurred as it tried to escape and fell.

 Lyuba the mammoth 

Lyuba is another well-known mammoth. She was formerly the best preserved mammoth mummy in the world (now held by Yuka).

 Yukagir Mammoth 

The Yukagir Mammoth is a frozen adult male woolly mammoth discovered in 2002 in northern Yakutia and is considered a exceptional discovery. The specimen is named after the Siberian village of Yukagir near where it was found.

 In popular culture 
Woolly mammoths are popular creatures nowadays, appearing in many media, including animated movies. One notable example is the 2002 movie Ice Age, in which there is a mammoth named Manny, who is a major character.

 Related pages 

 Mastodon – a distantly related taxon to mammoths
 Steppe mammoth
 Mammuthus meridionalis
 Columbian mammoth

 References 

 Other websites 

 Natural History Museum: "The last of the mammoths" – three-minute video about the extinction of the woolly mammoth, presented by Adrian Lister
 National Geographic: "Mammoth tusk treasure hunt" – two-minute video about mammoth tusk collecting in modern Siberia

Category:Elephants
Category:Extinct mammals
Category:Mammals of North America
Category:Mammals of Asia
Category:Mammals of Europe
Category:Proboscideans