Giant Pre-historic Tusks on Display in Greece

By - 190 words

Language

Reading Level

Listen to Article

Tusks of a giant pre-historic mastodon found in July 2007 and measuring over 15ft each, were recently put on display at a museum in Northern Greece. In addition to the tusks, scientists also found the upper and lower jaws of the creature, with some of its teeth intact.

Paleontologists believe that mastodons, ancestors of the modern elephant, roamed the continents of Europe, Asia and North America as recently as 10,000 years ago.

The animals were very similar to the wooly mammoths, except for their tusks and eating habits. The tusk of the mastodons is straighter and more parallel, as opposed to the curled ones for the mammoths. Also the blunt, cone-shaped mastodon molars (back teeth) indicate that they fed on trees and shrubs, whilst the ridged molars of the mammoths indicated that they primarily grazed on grass. The mastodons were also a lot smaller in size than the mammoths.

This find is very significant, because it is the largest remains of a mastodon ever found and also because of the great condition of the tusks. Paleontologists may finally get some clues on why these majestic animals became extinct.

Cite Article
27 Comments
  • Sup yallover 5 years
    What do you mean hola this is not a movie, and i wish the same thing stracey001 I wonder how big mammoths are? I’m an animal person
    • iceskatingqueen
      iceskatingqueenalmost 6 years
      Oh wow cool
      • a personabout 6 years
        great
        • 1234over 6 years
          This will help me on my school article
          • Loveabout 7 years
            I am so shocked EWWWWWWWWW
            • Red Xalmost 9 years
              There saying that a mammoth is bigger than a mastodon? And those are a Mastodons tusks?!?!???!?!
              • jalmost 10 years
                everyone look at my face on this side
                • dakotahalmost 10 years
                  WOOOOW
                  • Taurielabout 10 years
                    I think so, Legolas.
                    • Legolasabout 10 years
                      Is this animal similar to an oliphaunt?