Discovery
Scientists cannot know for where the woolly mammoth first came from through genetics; they can, however, find the mammoth's closest descendants, the elephants. When scientists found the first mammoth bones, they originally thought they were elephant remains. However, the size and location of the bones, found in an Arctic region that had never held tropic animal fossils before, prevented the dismissal of such an important discovery. Eventually after much debate, French anatomist George Cuvier identified the remains as a new, already extinct species entirely different from the elephants; the Woolly Mammoth.
Evolution
Ancestors of the woolly mammoth included the mastodon, which is one of the only common ancestors between mammoths and modern elephants. Even though many people think that the mastodon and the woolly mammoth are the same species with different names, the mastodon is not biologically related to the mammoth or the African and Asian elephants. Using ancient DNA found in Siberia, geneticists revealed that they found woolly mammoths to be more related to Asian Elephants rather than African Elephants. This mitochondrial DNA also showed that the two common species of elephants diverged from each other much earlier than scientists originally thought. The Asian elephants and mammoths originally split off from the African elephants, and then suddenly split off into their own respective groups. This is a parallel situation to how the humans and chimpanzees split off from the gorillas, then became the two separate species we know today.
Traits
Woolly mammoths had to develop several adaptations to be able to survive the cold climate of Siberia. Some of these adaptations included a layer of thick fur. Abnormally small ears were also an important adaptation, which protected their ears from frostbite, unlike today’s African and Asian elephants who use their large ears as shade against the desert sun. Woolly mammoths also had a layer of fat under their skin, similar to blubber in sea animals, to stay warm in the winters. A woolly mammoth’s tusks were also an adapted trait used to be able to find food in the snow and ice of the frozen tundra, but could have also been adapted as a form of protection and self defense. A noticeable trait of the woolly mammoths are their massive tusks. Compared to modern elephants, the mammoth’s tusks were much longer and curved at a steeper angle.
The woolly mammoth’s coat consisted of an outer layer of coarse hair, which varied in lengths of 8 cm to 90 cm. Studies show that mammoths had sebaceous glands in the skin, which secreted oils into the hair, and would have helped contain heat, repelled water, and given the fur a glossy shine. The coats could’ve also been used as shelter for early humans and the humans may have passed that knowledge on through the generations, thus adding to the Collective Learning aspect.
The woolly mammoth’s coat consisted of an outer layer of coarse hair, which varied in lengths of 8 cm to 90 cm. Studies show that mammoths had sebaceous glands in the skin, which secreted oils into the hair, and would have helped contain heat, repelled water, and given the fur a glossy shine. The coats could’ve also been used as shelter for early humans and the humans may have passed that knowledge on through the generations, thus adding to the Collective Learning aspect.