{"id":34629,"date":"2023-12-27T06:53:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-27T05:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2ee287b5-8ec6-415f-897f-65328073cca8"},"modified":"2023-12-27T07:35:36","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T06:35:36","slug":"woolly-mammoth-vs-elephant-whats-the-difference-between-these-two-giants","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/woolly-mammoth-vs-elephant-whats-the-difference-between-these-two-giants\/","title":{"rendered":"Woolly mammoth vs elephant: What’s the difference between these two giants?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How different are elephants to woolly mammoths? Stuart Blackman explains how these two giant differ <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 27 December 2023 at 05:53 AM<\/p>

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Woolly mammoths hold a special place in the part of the human brain that thinks about extinct species, where they jostle for space with dinosaurs <\/a>and the dodo<\/a>. Which is perhaps a little surprising as there\u2019s no shortage of spectacular extinct elephants out there. <\/p>

But Stegodon<\/em>, Gomphotherium<\/em> or Palaeoloxodon namadicus<\/em> (a contender for the largest land mammal that ever lived) don\u2019t even have common names, let alone lead roles in Hollywood movie franchises.<\/p>

What’s the difference between a woolly mammoth and an elephant?<\/h2>

The woolly mammoth <\/a>(not the only member of the genus Mammuthus<\/em>, but surely the most celebrated) is certainly mammoth enough to capture the collective imagination, but it was no bigger than the elephants that continue to trundle through the African savannah. A significant part of its appeal is no doubt its magnificent pelage, which would have helped keep it warm during the Ice Age<\/a>.<\/p>

As for how else the mammoth differs from modern elephants<\/a>, we\u2019re in luck, because we know a lot more about it compared to many extinct animals. This is largely because so many have been so well preserved in the permafrost of the frozen north \u2013 not only bones, but flesh, skin, fur and DNA.<\/p>

We know, for example, that underneath all that hair, the woolly mammoth looked pretty much like a larger version of the Asian elephant <\/a>\u2013 smallish ears and a robust forehead \u2013 albeit with longer, curlier tusks, a slightly humped posture and a marginally shorter tail.\u00a0<\/p>

Genetic studies have confirmed that the mammoth and the modern Asian elephant are more closely related to each other than either is to the African elephant, and that many of the mammoth\u2019s unique genes were involved in physiological tolerance to extreme cold.<\/p>

This has led to research into the possibility of inserting mammoth genes into elephants to create cold-adapted hybrids that could, for example, replace the extinct megafauna of North America. It may even prove possible to clone a mammoth by inserting its genome into the egg cell of an Asian elephant.<\/p>

When did mammoths go extinct?<\/h2>

While it\u2019s easy to think of mammoths as being of the distant past \u2013 honorary dinosaurs, even \u2013 it\u2019s worth remembering that they were still going when humans started recording their lives on the walls of caves. A warming climate and hunting by humans finished off mainland populations about 10,000 years ago. But they hung on in remote outposts such as Russia\u2019s Wrangel Island until only 3,700 years ago. And, who knows? Perhaps, one day, they \u2013 or something very much like them \u2013 will be back.\u00a0<\/p>