Woolly Mammoth

Woolly mammoths were huge, furry relatives of modern elephants. They lived during the Ice Age and survived in cold, windy places.

WOOLLY MAMMOTH

COMMON NAME: Woolly Mammoth

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Mammuthus primigenius

TYPE: Mammal

DIET: Herbivore

GROUP NAME: Herd

WHEN IT LIVED: Pleistocene Ice Age (until about 10,000 years ago)

WHERE IT LIVED: Northern Europe, Asia, and North America

HEIGHT: About 9 to 11 feet at the shoulder

WEIGHT: About 4 to 6 tons

Built for the Cold

Woolly mammoths had long fur, a thick layer of fat, and small ears to help keep body heat in. Their long, curved tusks helped them move snow away to reach food.

Snowy scene showing the thick fur that helped mammoths stay warm. Image Credit: Duskbloom Littles (Artistic Image Rendering)

What Did They Eat?

Mammoths ate grasses, shrubs, and other hardy plants. They used their tusks and trunks to find food in icy ground.

Woolly mammoth life: Ice Age habitat, curved tusks, frozen ground, and a grazing herd. Image Credits (from top left to bottom right): Duskbloom Littles (Artistic Image Rendering); James St. John, Wikimedia Commons; Brocken Inaglory, Wikimedia Commons; Duskbloom Littles (Artistic Image Rendering)

Woolly mammoths teach us about life in the Ice Age and how animals adapt to cold climates.