The mammoth was a large, ‘now extinct’ hairy elephant-like animal that lived millions of years ago. It had long curved tusks and a sloping back. Its ears were small and its body was covered with long woolly hair. Changes in the environment, climate and migration led to its evolution. The largest known species of mammoth was 4 metres high and weighed up to 8 tons. Most other species were only as large as the modern Asian elephants. Mammoths were herbivores and ate leaves, bushes, willow and fir.
What was the Mammoth?
