Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Yeah.

Well, the head of the mammoth is different from that of living elephants. It's got a very high dome, very high single dome at the top. It's got sort of a high skull. And I think the reason for that is because the muscles and tendons that hold up the head originate on the back of the head and go back and attach to the top of the back. And with that enormous weight of tusks,

Well, the head of the mammoth is different from that of living elephants. It's got a very high dome, very high single dome at the top. It's got sort of a high skull. And I think the reason for that is because the muscles and tendons that hold up the head originate on the back of the head and go back and attach to the top of the back. And with that enormous weight of tusks,

Well, the head of the mammoth is different from that of living elephants. It's got a very high dome, very high single dome at the top. It's got sort of a high skull. And I think the reason for that is because the muscles and tendons that hold up the head originate on the back of the head and go back and attach to the top of the back. And with that enormous weight of tusks,

At the front, you think about it, so actually the animal's got to be able to raise and lower its head with these huge things sticking out of the front. And so it needed enormous power of muscle and tendon, very, very strong, and lots of them attaching to the back of the head. So I think partly that's why the head is actually very high, because it's giving more area at the back for that purpose.

At the front, you think about it, so actually the animal's got to be able to raise and lower its head with these huge things sticking out of the front. And so it needed enormous power of muscle and tendon, very, very strong, and lots of them attaching to the back of the head. So I think partly that's why the head is actually very high, because it's giving more area at the back for that purpose.

At the front, you think about it, so actually the animal's got to be able to raise and lower its head with these huge things sticking out of the front. And so it needed enormous power of muscle and tendon, very, very strong, and lots of them attaching to the back of the head. So I think partly that's why the head is actually very high, because it's giving more area at the back for that purpose.

Also, the mammoth had very high crowned teeth. Now, this was something that developed in the evolution that we talked about earlier, because the mammoth's ancestors lived mostly on the leaves of trees and shrubs, which if you are a herbivorous mammal, those are relatively soft to chew. They don't wear down your teeth very quickly.

Also, the mammoth had very high crowned teeth. Now, this was something that developed in the evolution that we talked about earlier, because the mammoth's ancestors lived mostly on the leaves of trees and shrubs, which if you are a herbivorous mammal, those are relatively soft to chew. They don't wear down your teeth very quickly.

Also, the mammoth had very high crowned teeth. Now, this was something that developed in the evolution that we talked about earlier, because the mammoth's ancestors lived mostly on the leaves of trees and shrubs, which if you are a herbivorous mammal, those are relatively soft to chew. They don't wear down your teeth very quickly.

Now, in the Ice Age, the mammoth was forced to eat mostly grass, which is much tougher to chew. It's also lower in nutrients, so you have to eat more of it. We think mammoths are probably eating for maybe 18, 20 hours a day to get enough food.

Now, in the Ice Age, the mammoth was forced to eat mostly grass, which is much tougher to chew. It's also lower in nutrients, so you have to eat more of it. We think mammoths are probably eating for maybe 18, 20 hours a day to get enough food.

Now, in the Ice Age, the mammoth was forced to eat mostly grass, which is much tougher to chew. It's also lower in nutrients, so you have to eat more of it. We think mammoths are probably eating for maybe 18, 20 hours a day to get enough food.

Yeah, they would have had to eat about 400 kilos of this relatively low-nutrient food. to feed their large bodies. And so part of the adaptation to that was they developed teeth with very high crowns so that they could last through the animal's life, even though they would be wearing down gradually with this very tough food that the animal was eating.

Yeah, they would have had to eat about 400 kilos of this relatively low-nutrient food. to feed their large bodies. And so part of the adaptation to that was they developed teeth with very high crowns so that they could last through the animal's life, even though they would be wearing down gradually with this very tough food that the animal was eating.

Yeah, they would have had to eat about 400 kilos of this relatively low-nutrient food. to feed their large bodies. And so part of the adaptation to that was they developed teeth with very high crowns so that they could last through the animal's life, even though they would be wearing down gradually with this very tough food that the animal was eating.

This is another reason why the head looks quite long and short, because it had to house these very tall teeth. So you would have noticed that difference immediately on looking at a mammoth compared to an elephant.

This is another reason why the head looks quite long and short, because it had to house these very tall teeth. So you would have noticed that difference immediately on looking at a mammoth compared to an elephant.

This is another reason why the head looks quite long and short, because it had to house these very tall teeth. So you would have noticed that difference immediately on looking at a mammoth compared to an elephant.

Yes, we do. We have many complete skeletons, also the carcasses. And the other really interesting line of evidence that we have is actually the cave art, because the drawings of mammoths in caves, mostly in France, we've got, I think, about 200 artistic reproductions of representations of mammoths by Ice Age artists.