Mastodon

ice age · extinct · giant mammals · proboscidea

Elephant cousins. Mastodons belonged to the same order as elephants and mammoths, called Proboscidea, which means they all had trunks and tusks. But mastodons split off from the elephant family at least 28 million years ago during the Oligocene.

North American giants. Mastodons lived only in North America, roaming the continent from the late Miocene time period all the way until the early Holocene when they went extinct. They were perfectly adapted to their forests and grasslands.

Ancient lineage. The mastodon genus, called Mammut, is so old and special that it gives its name to an entire extinct family called Mammutidae. Scientists study mastodons to understand how proboscideans evolved over tens of millions of years.