The
Wooly Mammoth: Fact or Fiction?
Yes, there was indeed a wooly
mammoth, and here are some general facts!
There were Ice
Ages which lasted for 200,000 years. When this happened the earth was covered
with a coat of ice. Plants did grow and the woolly mammoth was able to
feed on them. The temperatures were very low, however. To overcome these
conditions the woolly mammoth developed a very thick coat of hair. It was
a long shaggy coat. To keep the animal warm in
these very
cold conditions, there were two layers to the coat.
The remains
of the woolly mammoths have been found in the northern parts of Asia, America,
and Europe. They lived in the selocations from about the middle of the
Pleistocene until the end of that period. The last of the large woolly
mammoths probably died out about 10,000 years ago. The Pleistocene was
the last period in the Cenozoic era. It is because mammals became the main
creatures on the earth during the era that it is often called the 'Age
of Mammals'.
Although
they were large creatures, woolly mammoths fed on plants. They ate willow,
fir, and alder leaves. They also ate the leaves from bushes. We know what
the woolly mammoth ate because complete dead animals have been found in
Siberia. When the stomach contents were examined many different kinds of
leaves were found. Woolly mammoths probably used their tusks to clear snow
from the ground so they could get at their food.
Wooly mammoths
are closer to elephants than they are to yaks, but I threw them in here
anyhow. It's all good!
(picture
not avaliable)
Wooly
Mammoth
