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882 Featured Specimen
Woolly mammoth

Details

Woolly mammoth

Mammuthus primigenius

Size
Height 2.7–3.4 m · 4–8 t
Diet
Herbivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Herd
Lifespan

Woolly mammoth is a mammal associated with grasslands and polar habitats. It is herbivorous and herd-forming. It is extinct, so its ecology is reconstructed from fossils and specimens.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
PalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearctic

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

Its range is represented here by the Palearctic and the Nearctic, where it uses grasslands and polar habitats. Mobile species may shift habitat use with season, breeding sites, or food availability.

Appearance

Typical height 270-340 cm, weight 4 t-8 t. It has an elephant-like body plan, with proportions shaped by its habitat and mode of movement.

Behavior

It is mostly active by day and herd-forming. Spacing, group size, and visibility can change with season, feeding conditions, and breeding activity.

Feeding

It is herbivorous. Food choice and foraging style are tied to life in grasslands and polar habitats, so movements often follow available food resources.

Reproduction

Breeding cannot be observed directly; life history is inferred from fossils and comparison with close relatives.

Notes

Recorded scientifically as Mammuthus primigenius. It is extinct, so its ecology is reconstructed from fossils and specimens. In this guide, size, habitat, and activity pattern are useful first clues for recognition.