Mammuthus imperator
Encyclopedia
The Imperial Mammoth is an extinct species
of mammoth
endemic to North America
from the Pliocene
through Pleistocene
, living from 4.9 mya—11,000 years ago.
It was said to be the second-largest known species of mammoth
after the Songhua River Mammoth (Mammuthus sungari), and the largest on the Western Hemisphere reaching a height of 4.9 m (16 ft) at the shoulder. M. imperator ranged from Canada
to New Mexico
about 4.6 million - 17,000 years ago (Late Pleistocene
). It was slightly larger than its more famous cousins, the Woolly Mammoth
, the Steppe mammoth
and several others. Because it was much warmer in central and southwestern North America than in northern Eurasia
and North America, the Imperial Mammoth is not presumed to have had a thick fur coat like some of its relatives. It lived alongside Jefferson's Mammoth (Mammuthus jeffersonii) and the Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi). The latter is often confused with M. imperator, because of its similar size and fossil range. The primary way to distinguish the two mammoths is that M. imperator' s tusks curve to the point of overlap, whereas M. columbi' s tusks do not. M. imperator was originally described as a fossil species of Elephas
by Joseph Leidy
in 1858.
Excellent fossils of the Imperial Mammoth have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits
, in southern California
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
endemic to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
through Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
, living from 4.9 mya—11,000 years ago.
It was said to be the second-largest known species of mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
after the Songhua River Mammoth (Mammuthus sungari), and the largest on the Western Hemisphere reaching a height of 4.9 m (16 ft) at the shoulder. M. imperator ranged from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
about 4.6 million - 17,000 years ago (Late Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
). It was slightly larger than its more famous cousins, the Woolly Mammoth
Woolly mammoth
The woolly mammoth , also called the tundra mammoth, is a species of mammoth. This animal is known from bones and frozen carcasses from northern North America and northern Eurasia with the best preserved carcasses in Siberia...
, the Steppe mammoth
Steppe mammoth
The steppe mammoth, Mammuthus armeniacus, is an extinct species of Elephantidae, that ranged over most of northern Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene, 600,000-370,000 years ago....
and several others. Because it was much warmer in central and southwestern North America than in northern Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
and North America, the Imperial Mammoth is not presumed to have had a thick fur coat like some of its relatives. It lived alongside Jefferson's Mammoth (Mammuthus jeffersonii) and the Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi). The latter is often confused with M. imperator, because of its similar size and fossil range. The primary way to distinguish the two mammoths is that M. imperator
Elephas
Elephas is one of two surviving genera in the order of elephants, Proboscidea. The genus has one surviving species, the Asian elephant Elephas maximus....
by Joseph Leidy
Joseph Leidy
Joseph Leidy was an American paleontologist.Leidy was professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania, and later was a professor of natural history at Swarthmore College. His book Extinct Fauna of Dakota and Nebraska contained many species not previously described and many previously...
in 1858.
Excellent fossils of the Imperial Mammoth have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits
La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits are a cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park was formed, in the urban heart of Los Angeles. Asphaltum or tar has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with water...
, in southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.