Fauna
Mammal · GBIF taxon 4968840

Columbian Mammoth

Mammuthus columbi

Also known as Imperial Mammoth, Jefferson's Mammoth

Columbian mammoths were towering grazers that shaped the open parklands and grasslands of Pleistocene North America through heavy grazing and seed dispersal. Unlike their cold-adapted woolly relatives, they thrived in temperate to subtropical climates and possessed much sparser body hair alongside sweeping, curved tusks that could reach over four meters. Herds likely maintained a complex matriarchal structure similar to modern elephants, following established seasonal migration routes across major river valleys.

HerbivorePrehistoric
Columbian Mammoth reference
Licensed reference(c) lejones417, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & prey
  • Grasses
  • Sedges
  • Shrub foliage
Predators
  • Human
  • Saber-toothed Cat
  • Dire Wolf
ThreatsRapid climate shifts and Clovis hunter predation
HabitatsOpen grasslands, savannas, parklands, and arid scrub
Life span60–80 years
Classification
  1. FamilyElephantidae
  2. SpeciesMammuthus columbi
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Extinct species known exclusively from fossil and subfossil remains.
Responsible observation
  • Museum Viewing: Examine articulated fossil skeletons at asphalt seep sites and natural history museums across North America.
  • Molar Identification: Look for closely packed, flat enamel ridges that distinguish mammoth grinding teeth from bumpy mastodon molars.
Related species
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