Woolly Mammoth

When did they live?

During the last Ice Age (until about 10,000 years ago)

How long did they live?

Up to 70 years

How tall were they?

10-14 feet

How much did they weigh?

Up to eight tons (that's more than a full-grown elephant)

What did they eat?

Woolly mammoths were herbivorous, which means they ate plants. They are know to have eaten willow, fir, alder, hornbeam and hazel leaves.

What did the woolly mammoth look like?

They had huge tusks that curved up and back. These tusks could be 16 feet long! Woolly mammoths had a thick, shaggy coat of hair that grew up to two feet long. They were also covered with a thick layer of fat that kept them warm and stored food so they didn't starve during the winter, when it was harder to find plants to eat.

How do we know so much about them?

Scientists learn about animals that no longer exist by studying their fossils. Fossils are traces of plants and animals that are preserved in the earth in things like rocks and clay. In addition to studying fossils, scientists have been able to study whole woolly mammoths that were preserved in the ice in very cold places.

Did the woolly mammoth have any predators?

They were hunted by humans, and saber-toothed tigers preyed on young mammoths.

Mammoth Jumble

Can you unscramble these words found in the mammoth facts above?

Answers: woolly, ice age, saber-toothed, tusks, mammoth, fossil