A long time ago during the Paleolithic era there was a very large, woolly animal that roamed the Earth. These mammals lived during the Ice Age and are a very close relative to the elephants we have on Earth today. Even though they looked like elephants, they were covered in thick fur that kept them warm in their cold environment. Many cave paintings have been found that feature the woolly mammoth. The paintings show how important these animals were to hominins.

Hominins or,  as we call them, cavemen, were our ancestors and were hunter gatherers. Did you know they are known as cavemen because they often used caves as their houses? They hunted mammoths for meat and fur, but nothing went to waste. The tusks and bones were used to make tools and weapons and not only did they eat the fat, but used it for oil. Fun fact: the wooly mammoth was so big that some of their bones were used to build houses and they provided enough food for months for some communities.

Some large mammoths that have been found were 13-15 feet tall.  That would make them almost as tall as a two-story house. Just like elephants, mammoths had tusks. A tusk could grow up to 15 feet long and could weigh over 100 pounds. There are many fossilised tusks found today. Tusks are studied by scientists to find out more about this extinct animal. We can only imagine what this animal was like by visiting a museum and seeing fossils. Some scientists have been wanting to create, or clone, a modern mammoth. What do you think about bringing extinct animals back to life? If scientists really are able to clone this animal and bring the species back to life, wouldn't it be great to see one up close?

Mammoths lived in the cold tundra of northern North America, Europe and Asia. Many scientists believe that the warming of the Earth and climate change caused the extinction of the animal. Other scientists think it is a combination of being hunted and climate change. The mammoth was an herbivore and ate up to 441 pounds of plants every day. With food growing scarce, many animals died of starvation. Scientists say the last mammoth population died around 4,000 years ago on Wrangel Island in the East Siberian Sea, Russia. Even though it is extinct, this amazing animal still fascinates humans.