Mammoth is ... History of mammoths. How did you hunt for mammoths?

Mammoth is a mystery, already more than two hundred years exciting investigators curiosity. What were these prehistoric animals, how did they live and why did they die? All these questions still do not have exact answers. Some scientists blame the famine for their mass death, the second - the ice age, and the third - the ancient hunters, who destroyed the herds for meat, hides and tusks. There is no official version.

Who are the mammoths

Ancient mammoth was a mammal belonging to the family of elephants. The main species had dimensions comparable to those of their close relatives - elephants. Their mass often did not exceed 900 kg, the growth did not go beyond 2 meters. However, there were more "representative" species, whose weight reached 13 tons, and growth - 6 meters.

From elephants, mammoths were distinguished by a more cumbersome body, short legs and long hair. A characteristic feature - curved large tusks, which were used by prehistoric animals for digging out from under the snowy blockages of food. They also possessed molar teeth with a large number of dentino-enamel thin plates, which served for the processing of fibrous coarse fodder.

Appearance

The structure of the skeleton, which possessed the ancient mammoth, in many ways resembles the structure of the Indian elephant, who lives in our days. Of greatest interest are the giant tusks, whose length could reach up to 4 meters, the mass - up to 100 kg. They were located in the upper jaw, grew forward and bent upward, "parting" in the sides.

The tail and ears, tightly pressed to the skull, were small in size, there was a straight black bang on the head, a hump stood out on the back. A large trunk with a slightly lowered back was based on stable legs-pillars. The legs had a practically hornlike (very thick) sole, reaching a diameter of 50 cm.

The wool had a light brown or yellowish-brown tinge, tail, legs and withers were adorned with noticeable black specks. Fur "skirt" fell from the sides, almost reaching the ground. The "clothing" of prehistoric beasts was very warm.

Tusk

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 millennia, underwent mineralization. Their shades have found a wide range - from purple to snow-white. Darkening, occurred as a result of the work of nature, increases the cost of tusks.

The tusks of prehistoric animals were not as perfect as the instruments of elephants. They were easy to grind, they got cracks. It is believed that the mammoths with their help extracted food for themselves - branches, tree bark. Sometimes the animals formed 4 tusks, the second pair was thin, often fused with the main one.

Unique colors make mammoth tusks in demand in the production of elite caskets, snuffboxes, chess sets. They are used to create gift articles, ladies' jewelry, expensive weapons. Artificial reproduction of special colors is not possible, with which the high cost of products created on the basis of mammoth tusks is associated. Real, of course, not fake.

Weekdays of mammoths

60 years - the average life expectancy of giants who lived on the earth a few thousand years ago. Mammoth is a herbivore, food for it was mainly herbaceous plants, tree shoots, small shrubs, moss. The daily rate is about 250 kg of vegetation, which forced animals to spend about 18 hours on food every day, constantly changing the dislocation in search of fresh pastures.

Researchers are convinced that mammoths practiced a herd lifestyle, gathered in small groups. The standard group consisted of 9-10 adult species representatives, were present and young. As a rule, the role of the leader of the herd was placed on the oldest female.

By the age of 10, the animals reached puberty. Adult males at this time left the maternal herd, moving to a single existence.

Habitat

Modern studies have established that mammoths that appeared on the earth about 4.8 million years ago, disappeared only about 4 thousand years ago, and not 9-10, as previously assumed. These animals lived on the lands of North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Bones of mighty beasts, drawings and sculptures, depicting them, are often found in the stands of the ancient inhabitants of the Stone Age.

Mammoths on the territory of Russia were also distributed in large numbers, in particular, Siberia is famous for interesting finds. A huge "cemetery" of these animals was found on the Novosibirsk Islands. In Khanty-Mansiysk even a monument is erected in their honor. By the way, it was in the lower reaches of the Lena that for the first time (officially) the remains of a mammoth were found.

Mammoths on the territory of Russia, or rather, their remains, are still being discovered.

Causes of extinction

Till now the history of mammoths has big gaps. In particular, this concerns the reasons for their extinction. A variety of versions are being put forward. The original hypothesis was expressed by Jean Baptiste Lamarque. 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 been identified at the moment.

Georges Cuvier does not agree with his colleague, blaming mammoths for the floods (or other global cataclysms that occurred during the disappearance of the population). He argues that the Earth often encountered short-term catastrophes, completely exterminating a certain species.

Brocca, a paleontologist born in Italy, believes that a certain period of existence is allowed to every living creature on the planet. The scientist compares the disappearance of whole species to the aging and death of the organism, therefore, in his opinion, the mysterious history of mammoths ended.

The most popular theory, which has many adherents in the scientific community, is climate. About 15-10 thousand years ago due to the melting of the glacier the northern zone of the tundra steppe became a marsh, the southern one was filled with coniferous forests. Herbs that used to be the basis for the ration of animals were replaced by moss and branches, which, according to scientists, led to their extinction.

Ancient hunters

As the first people hunted for mammoths - it is not exactly established so far. It is the hunters of those times who are often accused of exterminating large animals. In favor of the version speak the products created from tusks and skins, which are constantly found in places of parking of inhabitants of ancient times.

However, the research of our days makes this assumption more and more doubtful. According to a number of scientists, people only finished off the sick and sick representatives of the species, not hunting for the healthy. Bogdanov, the creator of the work "Secrets of the Lost Civilization," gives reasonable arguments in favor of the impossibility of hunting for mammoths. He believes that it is simply impossible to penetrate the skin of these animals with the weapons possessed by the inhabitants of the ancient Earth.

Another weighty argument is a stiff hard meat, almost unsuitable for food.

Close relatives

Elefasprimigenius - this is the name of mammoths in Latin. The name indicates their close relationship with the elephants, since the translation sounds like "firstborn elephant". There are even hypotheses that the mammoth is the ancestor 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 the Indian elephant and mammoth are two branches whose genealogy is from the African elephant for about 6 million years. The ancestor of this animal, as shown by modern discoveries, lived on Earth about 7 million years ago, which makes the version of having the right to exist.

Known specimens

"The Last Mammoth" is a title that can be appropriated to the young Dimka, a six-month-old mammoth whose remains were found by workers in 1977 near Magadan. About 40 thousand years ago, this kid fell through the ice, which was the reason for his mummification. This is certainly the best preserved specimen that was discovered by mankind. Dimka has become a source of valuable information for those who are engaged in the study of extinct species.

The Adams mammoth is also known, which became the first full-fledged skeleton, which was shown to the public. This happened back in 1808, since then the specimen is located in the Museum of the Academy of Sciences. The find belonged to the hunter Osip Shumakhov, who was living collecting mammoth bones.

The Berezovsky mammoth has a similar history, it was also found by the hunter for tusks on the bank of one of the rivers of Siberia. The conditions of excavating the remains could not be called favorable, the extraction was done in parts. The preserved bones of the mammoth became the basis for the giant skeleton, soft tissues - the object of research. Death was overtaken by the animal at age 55.

Matilda, a prehistoric female, was discovered by schoolchildren. An event occurred in 1939, the remains were found on the banks of the Oye River.

Revival is possible

Modern researchers do not cease to be interested in such a prehistoric animal as a mammoth. The significance of prehistoric findings for science is nothing else than the motivation behind all attempts at its resurrection. So far, attempts to clone a disappeared species do not yield tangible results. The reason for this is the lack of material of the required quality. However, research in this area does not stop. At the moment, scientists rely on the remains of a female, found not so long ago. The specimen is valuable because it retains liquid blood.

Despite the failure with cloning, it is proved that the appearance of the ancient inhabitant of the Earth has been restored in accuracy, as well as its habits. Mammoths look exactly as they are represented in the pages of textbooks. The most interesting discovery is that the closer the period of residence of the detected biological species to our time, the more fragile is its skeleton.