Woolly Mammoth

Overview

The woolly mammoth was an Ice Age relative of living elephants, adapted to cold environments with a dense coat. It lived across parts of northern Eurasia and North America. Researchers can use chemical signals preserved in tusks to study an individual mammoth’s movements and diet.

“Isotope analysis of a woolly mammoth tusk has helped researchers reconstruct its movements across prehistoric Alaska.”

Key facts

Size & simulator stats

Large adults stood around 2.7–3.4 m at the shoulder and could weigh several tonnes; size varied by population and individual.

Length

5.5 m

Height

3.4 m

Weight

6.0 t

See how Woolly Mammoth measures up in the sourced size comparison chart.

Habitat

Cold steppe and tundra regions of northern Eurasia and North America during the Pleistocene.

Northern Eurasia and North America, including Arctic islands where some populations survived late.

Diet

A herbivore that grazed on grasses and other Ice Age vegetation.

Herbivore. It grazed on grasses and other plants of the Ice Age steppe.

Fossils & discovery

First described from Fossil record (Multiple fossil formations).Isotope analysis of a woolly mammoth tusk has helped researchers reconstruct its movements across prehistoric Alaska.

Research sources

• American Museum of Natural History: Mammoth or mastodon?
• American Museum of Natural History: Mammoth tusk research

Sources checked on September 28, 2026 by the Dinosaurs Names Editorial Team. Editorial policy

Gallery

Related dinosaurs

• ParaceratheriumParaceratherium transouralicum
• Short-faced BearArctodus simus
• Woolly RhinocerosCoelodonta antiquitatis