Difference Between Mastodon and Mammoth
We have all heard about prehistoric animals, as well as in the same way we will know about the innumerable theories about their extinction. For many people these topics turn out to be exciting and of great interest. It is not only about the dinosaurs whose fossils have given important contributions to their knowledge, but also about many other animals that lived on this planet millions of years ago and that even today some vestiges are preserved that give indications of their way of life and the era in which they lived.
Such is the case of mastodons and mammoths, both large mammals that inhabited the earth and that have an extraordinary resemblance to the elephants that currently exist in different locations on earth.
In this article we will point out the differences between these two animals, as well as their definitions and characteristics, to provide readers with more information about each of them.
Mastodon
The mastodon was an animal belonging to the genus -mammutidae- , the scientific name of the mastodon was -Mammut- and later it was named mastodon. It was a medium-sized animal with an elongated head and flat back, whose skin was devoid of hair and they measured up to 1.5 meters in height. However, there are fossils of some mastodons that suggest that they could measure more than 2 meters.
One of the main characteristics of mastodons was their dental structure. Unlike other species of pachyderms that have flat teeth, these had cone-shaped teeth of unequal sizes, which allowed them to tear and crush the stems and branches of trees and woody shrubs or the pulp of shrubs. In addition to this, another important characteristic was the shape of their tusks, which were small to regular in size and curved completely upwards from the base, which allowed them to burrow in the snow in search of food.
The habitat of the mastodons was the jungle of Europe, Asia and North America in more equatorial areas, so it is believed that they were from less cold climates. These existed during the Oligocene epoch (22 to 39 million years ago) and became extinct by the Pleistocene (10,000 years ago).
Mammoth
The mammoth was an animal belonging to the genus -elephantidae- whose scientific name is -mammuthus- . It was a large animal with a rounded head that had a large prominence provided with hair, had prominent shoulders and a backward tilt of the back similar to the current Asian elephant and could reach up to 4 meters in height.
Mammoths had thick fur-covered skin, which is why some species of mammoths were known as woolly mammoths or Siberian mammoths. The dental structure of mammoths was characterized by having flat and parallel teeth ideal for grinding herbs. Additionally, they had huge fangs curved downwards at the exit and then upwards, which allowed them to uproot grasses and bushes from birth. Some species of mammoth lived on the plains of North America but the woolly mammoth was from a much colder habitat and was found throughout the northern hemisphere, especially in the forests of Siberia.
They lived since the Quaternary era (7.8 million years ago) and their extinction is recorded approximately until 3,500 years ago, so modern man could live with this species.
Finally, as can be seen from the above definitions, the mastodon and the mammoth were pachyderms that lived on earth millions of years ago, both extinct species were close relatives but belonged to different species, therefore, among them are the following differences:
| Mastodon | Mammoth |
| Medium-sized mammal, which could reach up to 2 meters in height. | Large mammal, which could reach up to 4 meters in height. |
| It had an elongated head and a flat back. | They had a protruding head and a sloping back. |
| They were provided with cone-shaped teeth of irregular sizes. | They were provided with flat and rounded teeth. |
| Their skin was devoid of hair. | Their skin was covered with hair. |
| His fangs were small, curved upwards from the base. | His fangs were very large, curving down at the base and up and in from the center. |
| They lived from the Oligocene to the Pleistocene. | They lived from the Quaternary to the Pleistocene era. |
