Columbian Mammoth
Mammuthus columbi
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Chordata
Mammalia
Proboscidea
Elephantidae
Mammuthus
Mammuthus columbi
The Columbian Mammoth — Mammuthus columbi was one of the largest elephant species to have ever lived, a majestic icon of the North American Pleistocene. Towering over modern elephants, this massive herbivore roamed the grasslands and open woodlands of the continent, from present-day Canada to Mexico
Description
Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) — This species was a true giant of the Ice Age, reaching up to 4 meters at the shoulder, with males weighing 8,000–10,000 kg and measuring up to 6 meters in length. Their enormous, spiraled tusks could exceed 4 meters in length. Covered in a thinner coat of hair than their woolly relatives (M. primigenius), Columbian mammoths were adapted to the temperate and arid grasslands of North America rather than extreme cold. Their diet consisted mostly of grasses, sedges, and other tough vegetation.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
9500
3.8
5.7
2.1
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
Paleo-Indians of the Clovis culture hunted Columbian mammoths using finely crafted stone-tipped spears and coordinated group attacks. These hunts often took place near water sources or along migratory routes. Mammoth bones from kill sites show clear evidence of butchery, suggesting organized large-animal hunting was a central part of early North American life.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Naco Mammoth Site, Arizona (ca. 13,400 years ago) — A nearly complete skeleton associated with Clovis spear points.
Murray Springs, Arizona (ca. 13,000 years ago) — Mammoth bones bearing cut marks from stone tools.
Dent Site, Colorado (ca. 13,200 years ago) — Multiple M. columbi individuals butchered by humans using Clovis points.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
12000
BP
Late Pleistocene
North America
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
8
Est. Renderable Fat
760
kg
Targeted Organs
Marrow, brain, visceral fat
Adipose Depots
Visceral (perirenal/mesenteric), limited subcutaneous; marrow, brain lipids
Preferred Cuts
Long-bone marrow & braincase
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
5