Fuzzy Fossils Woolly Mammoth Skull

 

The woolly mammoth, a true superstar among the ice age megafauna, is perhaps the most extensively studied. Living alongside our human ancestors and even inspiring prehistoric cave paintings in Europe, we have a good idea of what these majestic beasts looked like. Even President Thomas Jefferson couldn't resist their charm, coining the term mammoth to describe their massive size. Existing for over 1 million years during the Quaternary period, mammoths were among the members of the proboscidean group of hoofed mammals, along with their modern-day relatives, the elephants. Starting out small, they evolved into the massive mastodons and mammoths we know today over the course of 60 million years. With their shaggy, colorful coats, these creatures were well-adapted to roam the grasslands and tundra of Asia and North America. Sporting a distinctive dome-shaped skull, ridged teeth, and colossal tusks that could reach up to 14 feet in length.