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mammoth
mammoth name for several large prehistoric relatives (genus Mammuthus ) of modern elephants which ranged over Eurasia and North America in the Pleistocene epoch. The shoulder height of the Siberian, or woolly, mammoth, which roamed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, was about 9 ft (2.7 m), and that of the imperial mammoth of the North American Great Plains was up to 13 1/2 ft (4.1 m). Mammoths were covered by a long, shaggy, black outer coat and a dense, woolly undercoat. They had complex, many-ridged molar teeth; long, slender upward-curved tusks; and a long trunk. Ivory hunters have collected their tusks for centuries in Siberia, where tens of thousands have been discovered; it is from these and from the drawings left by the Cro-Magnon people in the caves of S France that the mammoth's appearance is known. Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) people hunted mammoths, as is evidenced by remains of the animals found together with tools, and may have contributed to their extinction. The last population, on Wrangel Island, Russia, in the Arctic, survived until c.5,000 years ago. Mammoths are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Proboscidea, family Elephantidae. |
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"mammoth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mammoth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mammoth.html "mammoth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mammoth.html |
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mammoth
mammoth a large extinct elephant of the Pleistocene epoch, typically hairy with a sloping back and long curved tusks. Recorded from the early 18th century, the word comes from Russian mamo(n)t, and is probably of Siberian origin. The adjectival use meaning ‘huge’ developed in the early 19th century.
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the largest known cave system in the world, consisting of over 480 km (300 miles) of charted passageways and containing some spectacular rock formations. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "mammoth." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "mammoth." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-mammoth.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "mammoth." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-mammoth.html |
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mammoth
mammoth Extinct Pleistocene ancestor of the elephant. Many were covered with long red or brown hair. The prominent tusks were long and curved, sometimes crossing in adult males. In summer months, the permafrost of Siberia has been known to yield whole specimens that have been frozen for as long as 30,000 years. Genus Mammuthus.
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"mammoth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mammoth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-mammoth.html "mammoth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-mammoth.html |
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mammoth
mam·moth / ˈmamə[unvoicedth]/ • n. a large extinct elephant (genus Mammuthus) of the Pleistocene epoch, typically hairy with a sloping back and long curved tusks. • adj. huge: a mammoth corporation. |
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"mammoth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mammoth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-mammoth.html "mammoth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-mammoth.html |
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mammoth
mammoth large extinct elephant. XVIII. — Russ. mámo(n)t, of uncert orig.
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T. F. HOAD. "mammoth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "mammoth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mammoth.html T. F. HOAD. "mammoth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mammoth.html |
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mammoth
mammoth See MAMMUTHUS; ELEPHANTIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "mammoth." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "mammoth." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-mammoth.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "mammoth." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-mammoth.html |
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mammoth
mammoth See MAMMUTHUS.
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "mammoth." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "mammoth." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-mammoth.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "mammoth." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-mammoth.html |
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Mammoth
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Cite this article
AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Mammoth." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Mammoth." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Mammoth.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Mammoth." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Mammoth.html |
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mammoth
mammoth •Goliath • Haworth • sabbath
•Elizabeth • mammoth • Dartmouth
•Weymouth • behemoth • Plymouth
•Sidmouth • bismuth • azimuth
•Monmouth • Bournemouth
•Portsmouth • vermouth
•pennyworth • Elspeth • ha'p'orth
•Morpeth • Gareth • Nazareth
•Tamworth • Hayworth • Woolworth
•Wordsworth
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"mammoth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mammoth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mammoth.html "mammoth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mammoth.html |
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