It is no secret that unique animals lived in the ancient world, which, unfortunately or fortunately, we were not destined to see. But massive and huge remains testify to the greatness and strength of these mammals. So, in the past, animals adapted to the environment, and even individuals of the same species could change under its influence. Many are interested in unique mammals such as a mastodon. This is an animal from the proboscis squad, which in many ways resembled mammoths, but also had differences from them.
Characteristics of mastodons
Nowadays, no one thinks that, perhaps, a mastodon is the brightest ancestor of an ordinary elephant. The main common feature of animals, of course, is the trunk, as well as its huge size compared to other wildlife inhabitants. However, it was found that mastodons were no more than elephants, which we can see today in zoos or on television.
Mastodons are considered extinct mammals. They had similarities with other representatives of the proboscis squad, but differences were also present. The main one is the structure of the teeth. These large mammals on the masticatory surface of molars had paired nipple tubercles. And mammoths and elephants on molars had transverse ridges that were separated by cement.
The origin of the name "mastodon"
It is interesting that the mastodon is translated from Greek as “nipple”, “tooth”. Therefore, the name of the animal comes from the structural features of its teeth. Note that in some individuals in the lower jaw area there were tusks, which (according to scientists) were transformed from the second incisors.
Mastodons were considered herbivores, unable to harm any neighbor in a large house called Wildlife. The main dish of the proboscis squad was tree leaves and shrubs. Nevertheless, if the mammals were scared, they could simply kill the nearby animal with their huge weight as a result of a sudden movement, not wanting it themselves.
Male mastodons
Some scholars are convinced that mastodons did not exceed the growth of an ordinary elephant. Proboscis males could reach three meters at the withers. It is worth noting that they preferred to live separately from the herd, that is, females and their cubs. Their puberty came to ten to fifteen years. On average, mastodons lived for sixty years.
It is also worth noting that there were different types of mammals (the American one was described above), and almost all of them were similar. But in fact, mastodons appeared in Africa. That was 35 million years ago. A little later they moved to Europe, Asia, North and South America.
Interesting Facts
Mastodon (figurative meaning of the word provides for an influential figure, something big, for example, a mastodon of business, a mastodon of literature), unlike an elephant, had tusks in the upper and lower jaw. A little later, the appearance of the proboscis squad changed, and the number of fangs decreased to one pair. Scientists have found that animals died out about 10 thousand years ago. There were about twenty of their species.
One of the versions of the extinction of mastodons was the infection of mammals with tuberculosis. But after their disappearance, they did not remain forgotten. Scientists are constantly studying bones, tusks of mastodons, making new discoveries and delving into the history of unique mammals. In 2007, the animal’s DNA was examined in his teeth. The study proved that the remains of the mastodon were from 50 to 130 thousand years.
Thus, a mastodon is a unique and not fully understood large mammal that walked the earth tens of thousands of years ago and was considered one of the most friendly animals. It is proved that over time they began to eat grass, preferring it to the leaves of trees and shrubs, although their massive tusks disposed to an excellent hunt.