Anza-Borrego Desert Paleontology Society
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About Mammoths

For a more detailed description of the proboscideans found in the Anza-Borrego State Park see,
  
"Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego Desert",
George T. Jefferson and Lowell Lindsay, editors, Sunbelt Publications, San Diego California, 2006.

​
Picture
A donated Mastodon molar in the ABDSP Collection.

What is a Mastodon?

North American Mastodons go by the genus name  Mammut. Mastodons evolved from gomphotheres about 20 million years ago and survived well into the last Ice Age.  

A slightly smaller (6-10') and stockier animal,  mastodons had flatter heads than mammoths. And the teeth of mastodons were cusped - well-adapted to grinding the leaves of plants.
Picture
A molar in the mandible of Mammuthus meridionalis collected in ABDSP

What is a Mammoth?

North American Mammoths go by the genus nameMammuthus and begin to show up in the fossil record about 2 million years ago. Along with Mastodons, they also survived into the last Ice Age.

Mammoths are large elephants with flatter teeth adapted to grazing on grasses, sedges and other plants.

Mammoths are known in both:
  • the harsh northern climates - Woolly Mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius, 
  • and in the warmer, southern climates - Mammuthus meridionalis and Mammuthus columbi. In ABDSP we have both of these mammoths.
Picture
Above, this Velizar Simeonovski illustration shows, from back to front, a Columbian mammoth, an African elephant and an American mastodon next to a 6-foot-tall human.
Image from the Field Museum http://fieldmuseum.org/about/traveling-exhibitions/mammoths-and-mastodons
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  • Home
  • Events
  • Learn
    • Contact
    • Anza-Borrego Story
    • Park Geology
    • What is a Fossil
    • Why Study Paleontology
    • How Old Are These Rocks
    • Collecting History
    • Ethics of Collecting
  • Explore
    • Tour the Visitor Center
    • Fossil Treasures
    • Paleoclimatology
    • Rocks of Anza-Borrego
  • Collections
    • Research Permits
  • About Us
    • Paleontology Society
    • Certification Program
    • Educational Support Committee
    • Press Room
  • Join
  • Support
  • Store
  • Links
  • Member Sign In