Interesting Mastodon Facts You Wanted To Know

 Before the existence of the elephant, there were other elephant-liked animals in the prehistoric era. Among other giants in that time, mastodons were magnificent animals used to roam around North America and Europe about two million years ago. Unlike dinosaurs that are popular in art and literature, not many people know about mastodon. When comparing mastodon with popular ancient animals, they came late in the Pleistocene epoch. If you want to explore the beauty of this animal, continue reading to find out interesting facts about it.

Appearance

The name mastodon is derived from the term nipple tooth, the shape of its molar teeth. The animal looked like somewhere between the modern-day elephant and wooly mammoth, another extinct animal that lived in the ice age. To avoid confusion with mammoth, keep in mind that mastodon stood at shorter legs and stalwart body. However, both creatures had a long thick fur coat and pachyderm skin all over their bodies. According to fossil remains, male mastodons have curved tusks that are larger than females.



Debate over habitual

Paleontologists discovered that mastodon fossils found in North America are different from those found in Europe and Central Asia. They classified different mastodon species as americanum, matthewi, raki, and cosoensis. However, not all paleontologists agree with this theory. Another argument is that some scientists claim to know mastodon as grazer while others term is browser. For instance, mammoths grazed on vast grassland, while mastodon fed on shrubs and small plants. Their teeth allowed them to chump heavy leaves, twigs, stems, and branches.

Died of tuberculosis

Every prehistoric animal has a unique story about how it become extinct, and so does the mastodon. Fossils of mastodon bones showed that the once independent giant animal went extinct after tuberculosis infection. Unlike other ancient beings that perished from the earth after catastrophic events, the mastodon was infected with bacteria after exposure to humans in the late Ice Age. That means mastodons were very close to elephants we have today.

Since the official first discovery of fossils in 1705 in New York, more people have paid attention to the mastodon’s solitary lifestyle. Sadly, nobody in this world will see them alive and roaming on the meadow. However, we can keep its legacy by collecting fossils from stores that offer mastodon teeth for sale online

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