The Wooly (or Woolly) Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) is a large prehistoric mammal from North America and Eurasia. It is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon.
Description[]
The woolly mammoth is one of the last known species of the genus Mammuthus and is closely related to modern elephants, particularly the Asian Elephant. Males could reach a size of 3.4m (11.2ft) tall at the shoulder, a similar size to the African Elephant, although it was relatively small compared to other species of mammoth. Like most mammoths, it featured large curving tusks which both males and females possessed, as well as a coat of thick fur which served as an adaptation against the cold climate of its Ice Age environment. Woolly mammoth fur is known to have been brown in color, with variations that range from ginger to blonde.
The woolly mammoth lived across Eurasia and North America until between, 10,000 and 4,000 years ago, on the "Mammoth Steppes" that were common at the time. Like modern elephants, females would have lived in large family herds whilst males were largely solitary. It ate grass and sedges, and would have used its trunk and large tusks for foraging and manipulating food, as well as fighting. One of the most well known extinct animals, the woolly mammoth, like many large Ice Age animals, is believed to have gone extinct due to a combination of climate change and overhunting by humans, though some isolated populations may have become genetically bottle-necked to the point where they could no longer have fertile, healthy offspring. This particularly occurred with the Wrangel Island population of mammoths.
Zoo Tycoon[]
The Wooly Mammoth is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon and was added as part of the Dinosaur Digs expansion pack. It must be researched in order to be adopted.
The wooly mammoth is a tundra animal, with its favourite foliage being the Arctic Birch. It likes a small amount of elevation in its exhibit. It is also compatible with the Wooly Rhinoceros.
Wooly mammoths have 185 strength, 50 initial happiness, a crowd shyness score of 30, and have an attraction score of 55 to adults and 160 to offspring. They cost $3,200 each, making a best-suited habitat at least $6,400.
 Animal Facts
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| Mammuthus primigenius is more commonly known as the Wooly Mammoth. This Ice Age mammal is similar to a mastodon, but with larger tusks and a sloping back. Even at nine feet tall, it is small for a mammoth.
Mammuthus primigenius has a trunk that is somewhat shorter that that of its cousin the elephant. The trunk ends in two fingers, which the Wooly Mammoth uses to bring food to its mouth. The tusks are larger than those of either an elephant or a mastodon and can be used to clear the snow off of its food. These tusks are curved and extend almost down to the ground to reach low-lying bushes. The Wooly Mammoth's ability to find food beneath snow and ice made it possible for it to live on the tundra of Europe, Asia, and North America during the Ice Age. Even during the harsh winters, the Wooly Mammoth could find grass and moss under the snow. Wooly Mammoths can also forage for tree bark and other foods typically found above the snow. Since the Wooly Mammoth prefers to live in colder climates, its coat is made up of a double layer of thick, coarse fur over a three-inch layer of fat. The Wooly Mammoth sheds its fur at the beginning of the summer and regrows it in time for the next winter. An extra hump of fat just behind the animal's skull is built up over the summer and used for nutrition when food is scarce during the winter. Because of their build, Wooly Mammoths are able to travel long distances if necessary. This explains how their geographical range grew so large. Herds of mammoths will migrate with the seasons in search of forage. When forage grows scarce, they rely on their fatty humps to survive. The decline in the numbers of wild wooly mammoths coincides with the rise of humans. Very early humans recorded their mammoth hunts on cave walls. Humans are more clever and effective than the Wooly Mammoths' natural predators, such as the Sabre-tooth Cats. As humans began to hunt them in earnest, the Wooly Mammoth herds began to disappear. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The information plaque shows the Wooly Mammoth in the highland biome, despite being a tundra animal.
- The wooly mammoth is compatible with the Arctic Wolf, but will kill it if the two species are exhibited together.