Kingdom : Animalia Class : Mammalia Family : Elephantidae Scientific Name : Mammuthus Primigenius Size : 1.8m - 4m (6ft - 13ft) Weight : 8000kg (8.8tons) Life Span : 60 - 80 years Colour : Brown, Black, Tan Skin Type : Hair Distinctive Features : Long, thick hair and enormous tusks
- Woolly Mammoths are large mammals which became extinct thousands of years ago.
- They are related to elephants and lived in the cold and frozen Arctic regions.
- They had thick coats, short ears and tails in order to survive cold conditions.
- They also had 4 inches of subcutaneous fat as additional insulation against icy storms.
- Their curved tusks were huge and were used to hunt and also to fight.
- Woolly Mammoths were social animals who lived in groups called herds.
- Fossil specimens of Woolly Mammoths have been well-preserved as they freeze in the Arctic.
- Despite their size, Woolly Mammoths were herbivores and ate grass, twigs, leaves and shoots.
- The only known natural predator of the Woolly Mammoth was the Sabre-Toothed Tiger.
- Woolly Mammoths have been depicted in many cave paintings by ancient humans.
- Gestation periods for Woolly Mammoths is believed to be more than a year.
- Usually only a single calf was born which was looked after by the mothers.
- Woolly Mammoths had a long lifespan of around 70 years.
- They became extinct at the end of the Ice Age and because of hunting.