Mammuthus

views updated May 08 2018

Mammuthus (mammoth) Line of Pleistocene elephants adapted to steppe and tundra habitats. The tusks were elongated and strongly curved, and the skull was shorter and higher than that of other elephants. The woolly mammoth was adapted to arctic environments. The largest mammoth, indeed the largest proboscidean of all time, was Mammuthus armeniacus of Eurasia, which stood about 4.5 m at the shoulder.

Mammuthus

views updated May 23 2018

Mammuthus (mammoth) A genus of Pleistocene elephants that were adapted to steppe and tundra habitats. The tusks were elongated and strongly curved, and the skull was shorter and higher than that of other elephants. The woolly mammoth was adapted to Arctic environments. The largest mammoth, indeed the largest probiscidean of all time, was Mammuthus armeniacus of Eurasia, which stood about 4.5 m at the shoulder.