Modern elephants and mammoths have similar origins.
Around 6 million years ago, the African elephant became a distinct species. About 440,000 years later, mammoths and Asian elephants became separate species. A separate speciation event is similar to the split between gorillas, humans, and chimpanzees.
All mammoths are extinct today. But we can still see some of their traits in modern elephants.
What are their similarities and differences? Let’s find out! Read on to learn all about mammoths vs. elephants.
Comparing Mammoths and Elephants
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| mammoth | elephant | |
|---|---|---|
| appearance | Height: 13 feet Weight: 6 tons 2 coats of fur hairy outer skin Small ears | Height: 13 feet Weight: 3-6 tons fine hair barely visible hair big floppy ears |
| history | Descendants of Siberian mammoths Belongs to the group: Proboscis | Descendants of Eritherium Belongs to the group: Proboscis |
| species | only 1 mammoth 3 types of mammoth, including wool Mammoths, which lived in the continental United States during the Ice Age | 3 different species; African savannah, African forest and Asian |
| Habitat | cold weather Looking for vegetation south of the ice sheet | tropical warm weather forest, savannah, grassland |
Mammoth vs Elephant: Key Differences
The main differences between mammoths and elephants are their appearance, history, species, and habitat.
Mammoths and elephants are relatives. However, they look very different and have a unique history. First, the mammoth has two layers of fur. The outer layer is extra fluffy!
The last woolly mammoth died out in 1650. Elephants still exist and they roam around in tropical climates. Since they don’t live in the same frigid temperatures as their mammoth relatives, mammoths look very different. They have much shorter tusks, large floppy ears, and sparse but no fur.
Why do their ears differ in size? It’s all built to survive. Mammoths have tiny ears that help prevent frostbite. Small ears may make it easier for them to maintain core body temperature.
Surprisingly, mammoths were not much larger than the mammoths we know today. Elephants typically weigh a maximum of 6 tonnes – the same size as a full-grown mammoth.
Mammoths appear to have evolved from centuries of interbreeding and genome adaptation. Their Siberian ancestry gave them the genes they needed to survive cold temperatures. Alternatively, the ancestry of elephants could be traced back to an ancient creature called the Eritherium.
Elephants and mammoths are both proboscises. Proboscis includes the order of African mammalian mammals. This order consists of elephants and the extinct relatives of modern elephants.
Read on as we break down all the major differences between mammoths and elephants.
Mammoth vs Elephant: Appearance
To keep warm, mammoths have two coats of fur. The outer coat is hairy and may be as long as 20 inches. They also have a noticeable lump on their back. This mass may work like a camel’s hump, storing fat when food sources are scarce. It may also help them maintain a healthy core body temperature.
Woolly mammoths are usually the size of African elephants and can reach a maximum of 13 feet. Their ears are smaller than an elephant’s. Small size is an evolved survival strategy.
Big ears require too much energy to keep warm and let the heat escape. Smaller ears are more effective for mammoths against freezing temperatures.
One of the most distinctive features of mammoths is their huge tusks. Mammoth tusks can quickly grow to over 15 feet!
Modern elephants have impressive tusks, but they’re not all that long. Today’s tusks are typically 3-10 feet long, with an average length of about 6 feet.
Despite the name, woolly mammoths didn’t always have the size of a woolly mammoth. They are usually about the same size as African elephants. A typical African elephant weighs about 2.5 to 7 tons. That means a massive African elephant is as big as a 6-ton mammoth.
Mammoths and Elephants: History
When did mammoths run across the tundra of North America, Asia and Europe?them
was alive about 300,000 years ago. About 10,000 years ago, most mammoths became extinct.
There is evidence that a herd of mammoths survived until 1650 BC. The well-preserved remains of baby mammoths have helped reveal a lot about this extinct species.
Elephants are the largest land animals in existence. Their genetic lineage goes back millions of years. About 7 million years ago, the first modern elephants appeared. Living elephants share a common ancestor with aquatic animals such as manatees, dugongs and manatees.
Mammoths vs Elephants: Species
Dating back a million years, the Siberian steppe mammoth appears to be the ancestor of the woolly mammoth. Siberian mammoths have the genetic adaptations necessary to live in freezing temperatures. This is how the woolly mammoth survived after all these years.
About 100,000 years ago, North America was home to two species of woolly mammoth. The Columbian mammoth lives in the southernmost part of Mexico. Mammoths also lived in the north. Mammoths and Columbian mammoths interbreed.
Elephants have a much longer history. Eritherium is the most primitive elephant ancestor known to scientists. The ancient relative was much smaller than the giant elephant we know today, very much like a tapir. It existed in what is now Morocco during the Paleocene epoch.
Eritherium is also the term describing the genus of early proboscis. Proboscises are an order of African mammalian mammals that include elephants and their extinct relatives.
Mammoths and Elephants: Habitats
During the Ice Age, mammoths lived in cold conditions. You can find mammoths in the arid steppe tundra of the far north. The mammoth’s habitat is known as the “mammoth steppe” or “tundra steppe.”
Mammoths can be found in the flat tundra and grasslands south of the ice cap. Their fluffy fur keeps them warm even though it’s always cold.
Mammoths especially preferred riverine environments, similar to elephants today. Elephants love water so much that one lady was very surprised when a huge and curious elephant came to her water pool! But the swimming pool is not their usual hangout.
Instead, forests, grasslands, savannahs, highlands, and swamps are elephant habitats. Savannah elephants can roam the plains of Saharan Africa. Forest likeness thrives in the shady forests of West and Central Africa. There are even fewer elephants living in the deserts of Mali.
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Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
