The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was a species of mammoth, the common name for the extinct elephant genus Mammuthus. The woolly mammoth was one of the last in a line of mammoth species, beginning with Mammuthus subplanifrons in the early Pliocene. M. primigenius diverged from the steppe mammoth, M. trogontherii, about 200,000 years ago in eastern Asia. Its closest extant relative is the Asian elephant.
The appearance and behavior of this species are among the best studied of any prehistoric animal because of the discovery of frozen carcasses in Siberia and Alaska, as well as skeletons, teeth, stomach contents, dung, and depiction from life in prehistoric cave paintings. Mammoth remains had long been known in Asia before they became known to Europeans in the 17th century. The origin of these remains was long a matter of debate, and often explained as being remains of legendary creatures. The mammoth was identified as an extinct species of elephant by Georges Cuvier in 1796.
The woolly mammoth was roughly the same size as modern African elephants. Males reached shoulder heights between 2.7 and 3.4 m (9 and 11 ft) and weighed up to 6 tonnes (6.6 short tons). Females averaged 2.6–2.9 meters (8.5–9.5 ft) in height and weighed up to 4 tonnes (4.4 short tons). A newborn calf weighed about 90 kilograms (200 lb). The woolly mammoth was well adapted to the cold environment during the last ice age. It was covered in fur, with an outer covering of long guard hairs and a shorter undercoat. The color of the coat varied from dark to light. The ears and tail were short to minimize frostbite and heat loss. It had long, curved tusks and four molars, which were replaced six times during the lifetime of an individual. Its behavior was similar to that of modern elephants, and it used its tusks and trunk for manipulating objects, fighting, and foraging. The diet of the woolly mammoth was mainly grass and sedges. Individuals could probably reach the age of 60. Its habitat was the mammoth steppe, which stretched across northern Eurasia and North America.
The woolly mammoth coexisted with early humans, who used its bones and tusks for making art, tools, and dwellings, and the species was also hunted for food.[1] It disappeared from its mainland range at the end of the Pleistocene 10,000 years ago, most likely through climate change and consequent shrinkage of its habitat, hunting by humans, or a combination of the two. Isolated populations survived on St. Paul Island until 6,400 years ago and Wrangel Island until 4,000 years ago. After its extinction, humans continued using its ivory as a raw material, a tradition that continues today. It has been proposed the species could be recreated through cloning, but this method is as yet in-feasible because of the degraded state of the remaining genetic material.
The bottom 15 photos are a few pictures of the mammoth pens I've made. Unfortunately the first few pictures (perma-frost ivory pens) were taken when I didn't have a very good camera. I've since addressed this and hopefully going forward I'll have better images to share with the world. The last 3 pictures on the page are from my latest mammoth project. A mammoth tooth pen from the North Sea. The Mammoth Tooth used in this pen was recovered from the North Sea and is between 80,000 and 120,000 years old. A very long time ago the North Sea used to be land and mammoths roamed there freely. Over the millennia, the tectonic plates have shifted, and this land of mammoths has become part of the sea floor. Deep sea fishermen used to dredge the sea floor looking for scallops, but would occasionally bring up huge mammoth bones, tusks, and teeth. These items would tangle up and ruin the fishermen’s nets. After a while the fishermen figured out if properly cured and the salt removed, there was a market for these items, and they began selling them. This was the case for a few decades, then new fishing laws were enacted, and mammoth cannot be sourced this way anymore. Much of the mammoth found today is recovered from permafrost in or around Alaska and Siberia. A normal perma-frost mammoth tooth is yellow/white on the inside. Many of these teeth need to be colored and stabilized before use. Teeth recovered from the North Sea, because of the mineralization and deep-sea pressure, are naturally colorful and can be cut and shaped without stabilization; however, it is generally smart to stabilize anyways.
At the very bottom of this page is a National Geographic video called "Mammoth Tust Treasury Hunt" Which shows how many of these tusks and teeth are uncovered and eventually brought to market.
