Do You Know The Story Of The Extinct Mastodon?
About 20 million years ago, a distant relative of present-day elephants walked the earth. Although often confused with the mammoth, the story of the extinct mastodon follows another path. In the following lines we tell you all the details concerning this giant.
Evolutionary history of the extinct mastodon
To know the origin of creatures that have lived in such a distant period of time, there is nothing that provides as much information as fossils. Thanks to them, it is believed that the first mastodons appeared between 20 and 27 million years ago, in the period known as the Oligocene. Its origin precedes that of the mammoths, the other woolly giants of prehistory.
The first areas that show signs of the presence of these animals correspond to the geographical region we know today as Eurasia, the supercontinent formed by Europe and Asia. Fossil records indicate that from there they spread to Africa and America.
The extinct mastodon is believed to have inhabited these areas throughout the Pleistocene (2.5 million years ago) and part of the Holocene, including the time scale that extends to the present day.
When and why did it become extinct?
The extinction of these animals is still a subject of debate within the scientific community. Although there is a consensus on when (between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago, when the last ice age occurred), the how is still not entirely clear.
Initially, it was thought that the pressure exerted by hunting by early humans may have played a major role in the demise of the mastodons. Nonetheless, some recent investigations suggest that, in some regions of the Arctic, the mastodon was already going through a process of extinction, before the arrival of our predecessors.
However, there is another set of factors that directly impacted the extinction: climate change, resulting in a reduction in the habitat of the mastodon. According to recent studies, there is also the possibility that tuberculosis played an important role in their disappearance.
What was the extinct mastodon like?
Its name is enough to evoke the idea of a gigantic animal. It must be emphasized, however, that, despite its size (between two and four meters high and about six tons in weight), it was slightly smaller than mammoths, more similar to current elephants. It is important to remember that the mastodon and the mammoth constitute two distinct species, although both belong to the order of the proboscideans.
The extinct mastodon’s body was covered in dense double fur, ideal for the icy environment it inhabited. As for its head, it was slightly flatter than that of the mammoth. Its upper jaw featured long, curved fangs; furthermore, it is believed that the males possessed defenses in the lower jaw. Its legs, too, compared to those of the mammoth, were shorter and stronger.
The biggest difference can be found in its diet and, consequently, in its teeth. Both species were herbivores, but their way of feeding was different. Mammoths possessed simple molars, similar to those of the elephants we know today. These teeth were perfect for feeding on grass and leaves.
However, the mastodon’s specialized cusp-shaped molars, along with the fangs, also allowed it to tear off branches and trunk fragments, which it then fed on .
