Columbian Mammoth
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| Columbian Mammoth Fossil range: Late Pleistocene |
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 Columbian Mammoth
©2001 SW Clyde, courtesy of byways.org |
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| Mammuthus columbi |
The Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) is an extinct species of elephant that appeared in North America (the present United States to as far south as Nicarauga and Honduras) during the late Pleistocene, It is believed by some people to be the same species as its slightly larger cousin, M. imperator, because of their similarities in fossil location and size[citation needed]. It was one of the largest of the mammoth species and also one of the largest elephants to have ever lived, measuring 4 metres, or 13 feet tall and weighing up to 10,000kg (10 metric tons). It was a herbivore, with a diet consisting of varied plant life ranging from grasses to conifers. It is also theorized that the Columbian Mammoth ate the giant fruits of North America such as the Osage-orange, Kentucky coffee and Honey locust as there was no other large herbivore in North America then that could ingest these fruits. Using studies of African elephants, it has been estimated that a large male would have eaten approximately 700 pounds, or 318.2 kilograms, of plant material daily[citation needed]. The average Columbian mammoth ate 300 pounds of vegetation a day. Males Tusks would extend to 6.5 feet. They were 10.7 feet long at the shoulder, weighed 6 tons and had a head that accounted for 12 to 25 percent of its body weight.[1]. A pair of Columbian Mammoth tusks discovered in central Texas was the largest ever found for any elephant: 5 metres, or 16 feet, long[citation needed].
The Columbian Mammoth was one of the last members of the American Megafauna to become extinct, with several specimens dating to 9,000 years ago or less and one near Nashville, Tennessee, reliably dated to only about 7,800 years ago[citation needed]. Columbian Mammoths went extinct approximately 12,500 years ago[2]
The remains of Columbian Mammoths were discovered in the La Brea Tar Pits, located in Los Angeles, California, and the skeleton of one of them is on exhibit in that site's museum[citation needed]. The Waco Mammoth Site in Waco, TX holds the record of the largest known concentration of mammoth deaths from the same event.[3]. This mammoth also lived in Mexico, where its remains are very common. A large individual is the central exhibit in the Regional Museum of Guadalajara, in the Mexican state of Jalisco[citation needed].
In 1998, the Washington State Legislature approved the Columbian Mammoth as the State Fossil.[4]
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[edit] In popular culture
A Columbian Mammoth appeared in Episode Twelve of the ITV television series Primeval. It went through an anomaly and wreaked havoc on M25.
