Page 75 - Prehistoric Animals

columbian mammoth

Mammuthus columbi*
Mammuthus columbi Mammuthus imperator

The Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) is
an extinct species of mammoth that lived in
the Pleistocene epoch’, 2 million to 11,000 years ago. It
stood at the shoulders around 4 metres high and weighed
in around 10 to 13 tonnes.

Columbian mammoth was endemic to North Ameri-
ca; it lived around the time of the Woolly Mammoth and
was believed by some to have mated with the Woolly. How-
ever, it did not have the Woolly coat synonymous with the
Woolly Mammoth; its coat had only a light covering of long
hair. Its size, its huge upward curving tusks and the fact
that it’s thought to have been the last mammoth of its type
to have gone extinct, makes it worth a mention; however, it
was not unique.

Mammoths had roamed the planet for millions of
years. It’s believed they first appeared in Africa in the ear-
ly Pliocene; 5 million years ago**. Over time they spread
across many continents ending with the extinction of the
Woolly mammoth a mere 4,000 years ago. However, many
of the extinct species of mammoths are thought to be close-
ly related to the present day elephants. For instance, the
Columbian mammoth is cited as a close relative of the pre-
sent day Asian elephants.

The mammoths’ extinction, especially the more pop-
ular species like the Columbian mammoth and the Woolly
mammoth has spawned many theories. After all, who
doesn’t enjoy a good theory? Its much preferred, than the
boring old truth, like climate change
*Mammuthus imperator was found to be a synonym o Mammuthus
columbi (Columbian mammoth
**Mammuthus subplanifrons, is cited as the first species of mam-
moth