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Mammoths(Mammuthus ) are prehistoric beasts that ramble tundra ecosystems during thelast trash age(2.6 million to 11,700 years ago ) , but their evolutionary story goes back further than that . The now - extinct puppet branched off from African elephants ( Loxodonta ) around 6 million years ago and burst from their closest known relatives , Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus ) , about 440,000 years later .

Research suggest a minuscule , isolated universe of mammoths survived until 4,000 years ago beforegoing nonextant due a random , sudden upshot — although scientist still do n’t do it what that upshot could be .

An illustration of the steppe mammoths that preceded the woolly mammoth, based on the genetic knowledge from the Adycha mammoth.

Mammoths are iconic creatures from the last ice age, but their lineage extends farther back in time than that.

There are many affair we may never know about mammoth , but scientist are work to hold a clearer picture of how and where the animals lived — andsome researchers are even trying to work them back to animation . In the meantime , how much do you cognize about mammoth ? Find out by taking this quiz , and if you demand a hint , bug the lightbulb in the top left corner .

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The mammoth remains discovered in Austria.

Digitized image of a woolly mammoth

An illustration of a woolly mammoth standing in front of a white background.

An ancient egyptian pharaoh sarcophgus.

a group of scientists gather around a dissection table with a woolly mammoth baby

A photograph of researchers wrapping a mammoth tusk in plaster on the O2 Ranch in West Texas.

Two woolly mammoths trample through a snowy forest under blue skies. A small rabbit looks on.

A piece of woolly mammoth skin covered in fur is laid out next to a measuring tape.

Two young lions (Panthera leo) in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya.

Mount Vesuvius behind the ruins of pompeii.

Stonehenge, Salisbury, UK, July 30, 2024; Stunning aerial view of the spectacular historical monument of Stonehenge stone circles, Wiltshire, England, UK.

a painting of vikings at sea

a rendering of a bed floating in the clouds

Sunda island pit viper ( Trimeresurus insularis ) on a branch. Photo taken in Jakarta.

An aerial photo of mountains rising out of Antarctica snowy and icy landscape, as seen from NASA’s Operation IceBridge research aircraft.