Unraveling the fate of woolly mammoths can shed light on what happened on our planet many tens and hundreds of years ago. Modern paleontologists are studying the remains of these giants in order to find out more precisely what they looked like, what kind of lifestyle they led, who is related to modern elephants, and why they became extinct. The results of the researchers' work will be discussed below.
Mammoths are large herd animals belonging to the elephant family. Representatives of one of their varieties, called the woolly mammoth (mammuthus primigenius), inhabited northern regions Europe, Asia and North America presumably between 300 and 10 thousand years ago. When favorable climatic conditions they did not leave the territories of Canada and Siberia, and in tough times crossed the borders of modern China and the USA, ended up in Central Europe and even to Spain and Mexico. During that era, Siberia was also inhabited by many other unusual animals, which paleontologists grouped into a category called the “mammoth fauna.” In addition to the mammoth, it includes animals such as the woolly rhinoceros, primitive bison, horse, aurochs, etc.
Many people mistakenly believe that woolly mammoths are the ancestors of modern elephants. In fact, both species simply share a common ancestor, and therefore a close relationship.
What did the animal look like?
According to the description compiled at the end of the 18th century by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, the woolly mammoth is a gigantic animal, the height of which at the withers reached about 3.5 meters with an average weight of 5.5 tons, and a maximum weight of up to 8 tons! The length of the coat, consisting of coarse hair and thick soft undercoat, reached more than a meter. The thickness of the mammoth's skin was almost 2 cm. A 10-centimeter layer of subcutaneous fat, along with wool, served the giants reliable protection by cold. The summer coat was somewhat shorter and not as thick as the winter coat. Most likely, it was black or dark brown in color. Scientists explain the brown color of the specimens found in the ice by the fading of the fur.
According to another version, a thick layer of subcutaneous fat and the presence of wool are evidence that mammoths constantly lived in a warm climate with an abundance of food. Otherwise, how could they gain such significant fat deposits? Scientists who adhere to this opinion cite two types of modern animals as examples: fairly well-fed tropical rhinoceroses and slender reindeer. The presence of wool in a mammoth should also not be considered evidence of a harsh climate, because the Malaysian elephant also has hairline and at the same time feels great, living on the equator itself.
Many thousands of years ago high temperatures in the Far North were provided with the help greenhouse effect, which was caused by the presence of a steam-water dome, due to which abundant vegetation was present in the Arctic. This is confirmed by the many remains of not only mammoths, but also other heat-loving animals. Thus, skeletons of camels, lions and dinosaurs were found in Alaska. And in areas where there are no trees at all these days, thick and rather tall trunks have been found along with the skeletons of mammoths and horses.
Let's return to the description of mammuthus primigenius. The length of the tusks of older individuals reached 4 meters, and the mass of these bony processes twisted upward was more than a hundredweight. The average length of the tusks varied between 2.5 - 3 m with a weight of 40 - 60 kg.
Mammoths also differed from modern elephants in having smaller ears and a trunk, the presence of a special growth on the skull, and a high hump on the back. In addition, the spine of their woolly relative curved sharply downward at the rear.
The most recent woolly mammoths living on Wrangel Island were significantly smaller in size than their ancestors; their height at the withers was slightly less than 2 meters. But despite this, in the era ice age this animal was largest representative fauna throughout Eurasia.
Lifestyle
The basis of the mammoth diet was plant food, the average daily volume of which included almost 500 kg of various greens: grass, leaves, young tree branches and pine needles. This is confirmed by studies of the stomach contents of mammuthus primigenius and indicates that giant animals chose to live in areas where both tundra and steppe flora were present.
The giants lived up to 70–80 years. They became sexually mature at 12–14 years of age. The most viable hypothesis suggests that the lifestyle of these animals was the same as that of elephants. That is, mammoths lived in a group of 2–9 individuals, headed by the eldest female. The males led single image life and joined groups only during the rutting season.
Artifacts
Mammuthus primigenius bones are found in almost all regions northern hemisphere our planet, but the most generous region with such “gifts from the past” is Eastern Siberia. During the life of the giants, the climate in this region was not harsh, but soft and temperate.
Thus, in 1799, on the banks of the Lena, the remains of a woolly mammoth were first found, which was named “Lensky”. A century later, this skeleton became the most valuable exhibit of the new St. Petersburg Zoological Museum.
Later on the territory of Russia the following mammoths were found: in 1901 - “Berezovsky” (Yakutia); in 1939 – “Oeshsky” ( Novosibirsk region); in 1949 – “Taimyrsky” (Taimyr Peninsula); in 1977 - (Magadan); in 1988 – Yamal mammoth calf (Yamal Peninsula); in 2007 – (Yamal Peninsula); in 2009 - baby mammoth Khrom (Yakutia); 2010 – (Yakutia).
The most valuable finds include the “Berezovsky mammoth” and the baby mammoth Khroma - individuals completely frozen in a block of ice. According to paleontologists, they remained captive in ice for more than 30 thousand years. Scientists were able to obtain not only ideal samples of various tissues, but also get acquainted with food from the stomachs of animals that had not had time to digest.
The richest place for mammoth remains is the New Siberian Islands. According to the descriptions of the researchers who discovered them, these territories consist almost entirely of tusks and bones.
Thanks to the collected material, in 2008, researchers from Canada managed to decipher 70% of the woolly mammoth genome, and 8 years later their Russian colleagues completed this ambitious work. For many years painstaking work they were able to assemble about 3.5 billion particles into a single sequence. In this they were helped by the genetic material of the above-mentioned mammoth Chroma.
Reasons for the extinction of mammoths
Scientists around the world have been arguing for two centuries regarding the reasons for the disappearance of woolly mammoths from our planet. During this time, many hypotheses have been put forward, the most viable of which is considered to be a sharp cooling caused by the destruction of the steam-water dome.
This could happen by various reasons, for example, due to an asteroid falling to Earth. Heavenly body during the fall, the once united continent was split, as a result of which the water vapor above the planet’s atmosphere first condensed and then poured out in heavy rain (about 12 m of precipitation). This provoked intense movement of powerful mud flows, which along their path carried away animals and formed stratigraphic layers. With the disappearance of the greenhouse dome, the Arctic was covered with ice and snow. As a result of this, all representatives of the fauna were instantly buried in permafrost. This is why some woolly mammoths are found “fresh frozen” with clovers, buttercups, wild legumes and gladioli in their mouths or stomachs. Neither the listed plants, nor even their distant relatives now grow in Siberia. Because of this, paleontologists insist on the version that mammoths were killed at lightning speed due to a climate disaster.
This assumption interested paleoclimatologists and they, taking the drilling results as a basis, came to the conclusion that in the period from 130 to 70 thousand years ago, northern territories, located between 55 and 70 degrees, a fairly mild climate reigned. It can be compared with modern climate northern Spain.
Mammoths are amazing mammals that have become extinct due to climate change. They are distant relatives of modern elephants.
When did mammoths go extinct?
The mammoth species is one of the most well studied in modern paleontology. First of all, this can be explained by the fact that they lived on Earth relatively recently and were even contemporaries of humans. Until now, researchers often come across the remains of these animals.
So when did mammoths go extinct? This happened about 10 thousand years ago, when the last global cooling in the world climate occurred. Because of this, a fierce species struggle for survival began. People, who by this time had mastered various hunting tools, became a threat to all mammoths. One carcass of such an animal could for a long time feed the tribe. Because of this, the range of these proboscideans was increasingly decreasing.
Fight with man
Paleontologists most often find the remains of giant animals precisely at the sites of ancient people. The bones were carefully processed using stone tools so that they could later be used as tools in everyday life. Hunters had to come up with many tricks to catch such a giant as a mammoth. did not succumb to the blows of primitive copies. Of course, it was completely impossible for a person to overcome such a creature alone. Therefore, they hunted him in groups. On the paths where mammoths habitually roamed, camouflaged holes were dug into which the animal fell and became easy prey. Often spears or darts were aimed at the groin - one of the few weak points. Back in the 19th century, African aborigines used similar techniques when hunting local elephants.
Impact of climate change
In addition, there was another important reason Why did mammoths become extinct? These animals did not have enough food. Many of the species they fed on became extinct due to the cold snap (a total of 34 species disappeared during this period). Lack of food and the human threat have led to the fact that there is not a single mammoth left in the world. This phenomenon of mass extinction due to changes in living conditions has been called the Great Holocene Extinction by modern science.
There are several minor indications that the theory that climate has become main reason disappearance of these mammals. When mammoths became extinct, not only other animals disappeared along with them, but also individual human communities. For example, this was the culture of Clovis. It was made up of aborigines living in Central and North America. That is, the coexistence of mammoths and people did not cause the extinction of proboscis.
Climate change included not only cold snaps(changing their diet), but also warming, which was already directly affecting these giants. The retreat of ice and taiga to the north forced them to migrate further and further to extreme latitudes, where they eventually became extinct.
The Last Mammoths
Recent discoveries show that even after the disappearance of woolly elephants from the mainland, some isolated colonies existed on separate archipelagos. For example, bones were discovered on Wrangel Island that were about 4 thousand years old. Thus, scientists proved that isolated flocks still existed when Ancient Egypt Pyramids were already being built, and the Mycenaean civilization appeared in Greece. Of course, the inhabitants of the then Mediterranean did not know when mammoths became extinct.
The period of the mammoths lasted an extra thousand years. However, these animals were different from those that were previously distributed throughout Eurasia. Their size rarely reached 1.5 meters. This was due to the fact that the food chain had changed greatly. Mammoths had to reduce their diet, which affected the growth of individuals in childhood. These data became known after teeth found on Wrangel Island by Russian paleontologists in 1993 were studied and analyzed. The last “dwarf” community no longer knew any predators that could be a threat to them. That's why most of of the discovered fossils corresponds to older individuals.
When mammoths became extinct on the mainland, other species took their place. On Wrangel Island, the isolated community continued to exist and develop peacefully. However, why did mammoths become extinct on this small piece of land? Perhaps a man was in charge here. Unlike earlier times, when mammoths inhabited millions of square kilometers, killing just a few individuals on one island could upset the balance within the community.
Age of the Mammoth
Now that it has become clear how many years ago mammoths became extinct, we can talk about the environment in which they experienced their heyday. This period took place about 120 thousand years ago. At this time, mammoths lived not only in modern Siberia, but also in Europe, all the way to Spain. In Asia, this habitat line reached the shores of the Caspian Sea. Here, too, remains were found that remained after the mammoths became extinct. The era of their dominance in the surrounding fauna lasted for several tens of thousands of years.
The climate helped the mammoths. Over the past, Eurasia has experienced three severe cold snaps, when glaciers appeared far south of the Arctic Circle. greatly reduced the area of impenetrable forests. And vice versa, the size of the steppes suitable for mammoths has increased significantly.
Neighbors of mammoths
There was always a rich fauna around these giants, with which they came into contact in one way or another. These were reindeer, hairy rhinoceroses, musk oxen, horses, yaks, cave bears, saigas. From small mammals It is worth noting lemmings, gophers, etc. In total, about 80 species of fauna can be listed.
When, due to gradual warming, dense forests replaced their native tundra-steppes, mammoths left these places. So their range shrank, and eventually they disappeared completely.
Mammoths in folklore
Peoples today keep many legends about woolly giants who once lived on their land. Siberia was a place where mammoth hunting used to flourish. The Komi, Khanty, Mansi and other indigenous inhabitants of the endless tundra have preserved legends about them in folklore. In addition, it was these people, even before the Europeans, who often found relic teeth and bones, which they used in everyday life or as expensive jewelry.
The Alaskan Eskimos carved images of these mammals on their weapons made from walrus bones. Laplanders living in northern Scandinavia believe that mammoths are furry giants that hide underground. Among the Chukchi Eastern Siberia legends about mammoths as carriers of an evil spirit have been preserved.
These animals came from Eurasia to America. In Indian folklore there are also legends about “ huge bison" Mammoth hunting was common on both one and the other continent. Because of global cooling The level of the world's oceans dropped significantly, which made it possible for animals and people to travel from one part of the world to another.
Until recently, it was believed that mammoths lived on our planet in the period from 2 million years to 10 thousand years BC. Of course, their period of existence included homo sapiens, whose first representatives appeared on Earth about 130,000 years ago. However, 10,000 B.C. - this is too long a period to say that humanity found mammoths in the historical era.
At least, this was thought until recently, until scientists made one of the most amazing discoveries archeology of recent times. This discovery took place on Wrangel Island.
Wrangel Island is located in the Chukchi Sea, far beyond the Arctic Circle. The icy arctic air dominates here, and even at the most warm month summer average temperature does not rise above 2-3 degrees. The island is covered low mountains, glaciers and arctic tundra. It is currently uninhabited, although colonization attempts were made several times in the 20th century and ended in failure. Now to the island declared state reserve, only scientists land to conduct research.
One of these researchers, geographer Sergei Vartanyan, collected samples of mammoth bones in the reserve in 1990. These were quite ordinary collections, since mammoth tusks and bones were found there more than once, as in many other areas of the Arctic. Their age, determined by radiocarbon analysis, turned out to be unusual - from 7 to 4 thousand years. But it was recognized that the last mammoths lived on Taimyr no later than 10 thousand years. Repeated collections confirmed the discovery, and in 1993 a sensational article was published in one of the highest-rated international journals, Nature.
The mammoth turned out to be a dwarf island form and was described as a special subspecies of the woolly mammoth - Mammuthus primigenius wrangeliensis. Its height did not exceed 1.8 m, but an adult male of the continental form could be up to 4 m tall, and its weight probably reached 8 tons. Further research clarified the time of death of the last individuals - 3600 years ago. This is a historical time: the great Egyptian pyramids had existed for a thousand years, the Mycenaean culture began to flourish; perhaps a little later the first books of the Bible were written. And on Wrangel Island at this time the last population of mammoths quietly died out.
It is possible that the island was inhabited at that time: scientists found Paleo-Eskimo sites on it dating back to 1750 BC. e. But mammoths obviously died out without human intervention - under the influence of the harsh conditions of the far north, inbreeding in a small isolated population, and, perhaps, some other natural factors.
How did they manage to exist in such unfavorable conditions so much time, unlike other mammoths from the continent, which died out thousands of years earlier? A possible answer is given detailed descriptions nature o. Wrangel. Mountain ranges protect central part The islands are protected from the frequent hurricane winds here and make the climate a little milder. The richness of vegetation on this part of the polar land is amazing: more than 300 species of vascular plants, a third of them are very rare, and some are not found anywhere else. Botanists suggest that the ancient Arctic flora has been preserved here, which on the continent has long been replaced by other types of vegetation. This means that the food supply for dwarf mammoths might not be so bad.
The Wrangel mammoth is always mentioned in discussions about the causes of the extinction of ancient megafauna Northern Eurasia. Proponents of the anthropogenic extinction hypothesis cite the fact that islands inhabited by mammoths (in 2003, the remains of mammoths younger than 10 thousand years old were also discovered on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea) differ from the continent precisely in the absence of people. However latest research The disappearance of the fauna is associated primarily with a change in vegetation types - the ancient tundra-steppe to the modern swampy tundra and taiga, in which herds of such large herbivores cannot live.
This process became irreversible approximately 10–12 thousand years ago, when warming began after the end of the Ice Age. However, on the cold Wrangel Island, ancient flora has been preserved. Isn't the long survival of the last mammoth population related to this? Animals covered with long hair easily tolerated the polar cold, but to what extent they depended on the quality plant food? Perhaps new research will someday answer these questions.
Illustration: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woolly_mammoth_(Mammuthus_primigenius)_-_Mauricio_Ant%C3%B3n.jpg
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The mammoth is a mystery that has aroused the curiosity of researchers for more than two hundred years. What were they like, how did they live and why did they die out? All these questions still do not have exact answers. Some scientists blame them mass death famine, the second - the ice age, the third - ancient hunters who destroyed herds for meat, skins and tusks. There is no official version.
Who are mammoths
The ancient mammoth was a mammal belonging to the elephant family. The main species had sizes comparable to those of their close relatives - elephants. Their weight often did not exceed 900 kg, and their height did not exceed 2 meters. However, there were more “representative” varieties, whose weight reached 13 tons and height - 6 meters.
Mammoths differed from elephants in having a more bulky body, short legs and long hair. Characteristic sign- curved big tusks, which were used by prehistoric animals to dig out food from under snow debris. They also had molars with a large number dentinoenamel thin plates that served for processing fibrous roughage.
Appearance
Skeletal structure possessed ancient mammoth, is in many ways reminiscent of the structure of the Indian elephant living today. Of greatest interest are the giant tusks, the length of which could reach up to 4 meters and weight up to 100 kg. They were located in the upper jaw, grew forward and bent upward, “spreading” to the sides.
The tail and ears, pressed tightly to the skull, were small in size, there was a straight black bang on the head, and a hump stood out on the back. The large body with a slightly lowered rear was based on stable legs-pillars. The legs had an almost horn-like (very thick) sole, reaching a diameter of 50 cm.
The coat had a light brown or yellowish-brown tint, the tail, legs and withers were decorated with noticeable black spots. The fur “skirt” fell from the sides, almost reaching the ground. The “clothes” of prehistoric animals were very warm.
Tusk
A mammoth is an animal whose tusk was unique not only for its increased strength, but also for its unique range of colors. The bones lay underground for several thousand years and underwent mineralization. Their shades have acquired a wide range - from purple to snow-white. Darkening, which occurs as a result of the work of nature, increases the value of the tusk.
The tusks of prehistoric animals were not as perfect as the tools of elephants. They were easily worn down and developed cracks. It is believed that mammoths used them to obtain food for themselves - branches, tree bark. Sometimes animals formed 4 tusks, the second pair was thin and often fused with the main one.
Unique colors make mammoth tusks popular in the production of luxury boxes, snuff boxes, and chess sets. They are used to create gift figurines, ladies' jewelry, expensive weapons. Artificial reproduction of special colors is not possible, which explains the high cost of products created from mammoth tusks. Real ones, of course, not fake ones.
Everyday life of mammoths
60 years - average duration the lives of giants who lived on earth several thousand years ago. Mammoth - it served mainly as food herbaceous plants, tree shoots, small shrubs, moss. The daily norm is about 250 kg of vegetation, which forced the animals to spend about 18 hours daily on feeding and constantly change their location in search of fresh pastures.
Researchers are convinced that mammoths practiced a herd lifestyle and gathered in small groups. The standard group consisted of 9-10 adult representatives of the species, and cubs were also present. As a rule, the role of leader of the herd was assigned to the oldest female.
By the age of 10, the animals reached sexual maturity. At this time, matured males left the maternal herd, moving to a solitary existence.
Habitat
Modern research has established that mammoths, which appeared on earth approximately 4.8 million years ago, disappeared only about 4 thousand years ago, and not 9-10, as previously thought. These animals lived on the lands of North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Bones of mighty animals, drawings and sculptures depicting them are often discovered at the sites of ancient inhabitants
Mammoths in Russia were also common in large quantities, Siberia is especially famous for its interesting finds. A huge “cemetery” of these animals was discovered in Khanty-Mansiysk, even a monument was erected in their honor. By the way, it was in the lower reaches of the Lena that the remains of a mammoth were first (officially) found.
Mammoths, or rather their remains, are still being discovered in Russia.
Causes of extinction
Until now, the history of mammoths has large gaps. In particular, this concerns the reasons for their extinction. A wide variety of versions have been put forward. The original hypothesis was proposed by Jean Baptiste Lamarck. According to the scientist, the absolute extinction of a biological species is not possible, it only turns into another. However, official descendants of mammoths have not yet been identified.
I disagree with my colleague, blaming the death of mammoths on a flood (or other global disasters that took place during the period of extinction of the population). He argues that the Earth has often experienced short-term catastrophes that completely exterminated a particular species.
Brocchi, a paleontologist originally from Italy, believes that every living creature on the planet has a certain period of existence. The scientist compares the disappearance of entire species with the aging and death of an organism, which is why, in his opinion, it ended mysterious story mammoths
The most popular theory, which has many adherents in the scientific community, is climate theory. About 15-10 thousand years ago, due to the northern zone of the tundra-steppe, it became a swamp, the southern zone was filled coniferous forests. The grasses that previously formed the basis of the animals’ diet were replaced by moss and branches, which, according to scientists, led to their extinction.
Ancient hunters
How the first people hunted mammoths has not yet been established exactly. It was the hunters of those times who are often accused of exterminating large animals. This version is supported by products made from tusks and skins, which are constantly discovered in the sites of the inhabitants of ancient times.
However, modern research makes this assumption increasingly questionable. According to a number of scientists, people only finished off weak and sick representatives of the species, without hunting healthy ones. Bogdanov, the creator of the work “Secrets of the Lost Civilization,” gives reasonable arguments in favor of the impossibility of hunting mammoths. He believes that the weapons that the residents possessed ancient earth, it is simply impossible to pierce the skin of these animals.
Another compelling argument is the stringy, tough meat, almost unsuitable for food.
Close relatives
Elefas primigenius - this is the name of mammoths in Latin. The name indicates their close relationship with elephants, since the translation sounds like “first-born elephant.” There are even hypotheses that the mammoth is the progenitor of modern elephants, which were the result of evolution, adaptation to a warm climate.
A study by German scientists who compared the DNA of a mammoth and an elephant suggests that Indian elephant and the mammoth are two branches whose genealogy has been traced back to the African elephant for some 6 million years. The ancestor of this animal has been shown modern discoveries, lived on Earth approximately 7 million years ago, which makes the version valid.
Known specimens
“The Last Mammoth” is a title that can be assigned to baby Dimka, a six-month-old mammoth whose remains were found by workers in 1977 near Magadan. About 40 thousand years ago, this baby fell through the ice, which caused his mummification. This is by far the best preserved specimen yet discovered by mankind. Dimka has become a source of valuable information for those researching the extinct species.
Equally famous is the Adams mammoth, which became the first full-fledged skeleton to be shown to the public. This happened back in 1808, since then the copy has been located in the Museum of the Academy of Sciences. The find belonged to the hunter Osip Shumakhov, who lived by collecting mammoth bones.
The Berezovsky mammoth has a similar story; it was also found by a tusk hunter on the banks of one of the rivers in Siberia. The conditions for excavating the remains could not be called favorable; the extraction was carried out in parts. The preserved mammoth bones became the basis for a giant skeleton, and soft tissues became the object of research. Death overtook the animal at the age of 55.
Matilda, female prehistoric appearance, and the schoolchildren discovered it. An event happened in 1939, the remains were discovered on the banks of the Oesh River.
Revival is possible
Modern researchers never cease to be interested in such a prehistoric animal as the mammoth. The significance of prehistoric finds for science is nothing other than the motivation underlying all attempts to resurrect it. So far, attempts to clone the extinct species have not yielded tangible results. This is due to the lack of material of the required quality. However, research in this area is not going to stop. Currently, scientists are relying on the remains of a female found not so long ago. The specimen is valuable because it has preserved liquid blood.
Despite the cloning failure, it has been proven that the appearance ancient inhabitant The earth is restored exactly, as are his habits. Mammoths look exactly as they are presented on the pages of textbooks. The most interesting discovery is that the closer the period of residence of a discovered biological species to our time, the more fragile its skeleton is.
Niramin - Jun 5th, 2016
Elephants and mammoths share a common ancestor, the paleomastodon, which inhabited Africa about 36 million years ago. This may be why elephants and mammoths have many similarities.
For 5 million years, mammoths lived quietly on many continents, disappearing from the face of the Earth only 10 - 12 thousand years ago. Their remains are found not only in Eurasia, but also in North and South America.
Distant relatives of mammoths, elephants are the remnants of a large family of proboscideans that inhabited our planet in the distant past. These huge animals live in Africa, South and Southeast Asia.
Externally, African and Indian elephants look very similar. However, huge representatives of African shrouds are much larger than their Asian relatives. The maximum weight of an African elephant reaches more than 7 tons, and its height at the withers is about 4 meters. At the same time, the Indian elephant can have Weight Limit about 5 tons, and at the withers up to 3 meters. The shaggy relatives of modern elephants, mammoths, were much larger. Their height at the withers reached 5 meters; their huge tusks, twisted in the form of a spiral, were the same length. With the help of tusks, mammoths were able to resist predators, and the thick long wool protected these animals from low temperatures during the ice age. Scientists are still looking for the reason mass extinction mammoths Some consider ancient man to be guilty, who intensively exterminated these animals, others are inclined to the version of the emergence of a new ice age, caused by the fall of a South American meteorite.
Like modern elephants, mammoths ate plant foods. But unlike their modern relatives, mammoths had to eat sparse tundra vegetation. Many paleontologists claim that baby mammoths also ate their parents' droppings in order to replenish their stomachs with the bacteria necessary for normal digestion.
Elephants have a more varied diet than their long-extinct relatives. They use leaves, branches, shoots, fruits, bark and roots of trees and shrubs as food.
And if ancient man used the mammoth as a hunting object, eating its meat and later processing its skins, then modern elephants local residents learned to tame and use them as helpers on the farm. This is especially true of Indian elephants, which are easy to train and become attached to their owner for a long time.
Mammoths and elephants - see pictures and photos:
Evolution of proboscideans. 
Photo: African elephant. 
Photo: Indian elephant. 
Mammoth, African elephant and man. 
Mammoth.
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