Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

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.

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.

Yes, exactly, yes. And Although, obviously, you have to allow for artistic license. But there are certain features of the animal that are repeated again and again in the art. One in particular that I would mention is that they're always shown with a very sloping back. So the mammoth had a sort of high shoulder hump, and then the back sloped down gradually towards the tail end.

Yes, exactly, yes. And Although, obviously, you have to allow for artistic license. But there are certain features of the animal that are repeated again and again in the art. One in particular that I would mention is that they're always shown with a very sloping back. So the mammoth had a sort of high shoulder hump, and then the back sloped down gradually towards the tail end.

Yes, exactly, yes. And Although, obviously, you have to allow for artistic license. But there are certain features of the animal that are repeated again and again in the art. One in particular that I would mention is that they're always shown with a very sloping back. So the mammoth had a sort of high shoulder hump, and then the back sloped down gradually towards the tail end.

And that's actually quite difficult to figure, even from looking at the vertebral column, which I have done, piecing all the bones together. It's quite hard to twig that that was the case, but it's shown in all the cave paintings. And so I guess it was the case.

And that's actually quite difficult to figure, even from looking at the vertebral column, which I have done, piecing all the bones together. It's quite hard to twig that that was the case, but it's shown in all the cave paintings. And so I guess it was the case.

And that's actually quite difficult to figure, even from looking at the vertebral column, which I have done, piecing all the bones together. It's quite hard to twig that that was the case, but it's shown in all the cave paintings. And so I guess it was the case.

Again, compare with an Asian, living Asian elephant where the back is kind of arched shape, an African elephant where the back is described as saddle shape, hollow in the middle. So the mammoth was quite different in its overall body form, if you were to look at it from the side. High domed skull, big shoulder hump, sloping back down to the back end.

Again, compare with an Asian, living Asian elephant where the back is kind of arched shape, an African elephant where the back is described as saddle shape, hollow in the middle. So the mammoth was quite different in its overall body form, if you were to look at it from the side. High domed skull, big shoulder hump, sloping back down to the back end.

Again, compare with an Asian, living Asian elephant where the back is kind of arched shape, an African elephant where the back is described as saddle shape, hollow in the middle. So the mammoth was quite different in its overall body form, if you were to look at it from the side. High domed skull, big shoulder hump, sloping back down to the back end.

Very thick, yeah. I mean, we've got a lot of hair preserved from the permafrost. And the main sort of outer coat, the longest hairs are about a metre long. A metre long, wow. On the back and hanging down from the belly like a bit of a curtain. And I've measured the width of those hairs under the microscope. They're about six times the thickness of an average human hair. So...

Very thick, yeah. I mean, we've got a lot of hair preserved from the permafrost. And the main sort of outer coat, the longest hairs are about a metre long. A metre long, wow. On the back and hanging down from the belly like a bit of a curtain. And I've measured the width of those hairs under the microscope. They're about six times the thickness of an average human hair. So...

Very thick, yeah. I mean, we've got a lot of hair preserved from the permafrost. And the main sort of outer coat, the longest hairs are about a metre long. A metre long, wow. On the back and hanging down from the belly like a bit of a curtain. And I've measured the width of those hairs under the microscope. They're about six times the thickness of an average human hair. So...

Living elephants, although they sort of appear naked from a distance, you know, close up, they do have a sparse covering of hair. So the hair was there to evolve into the thicker coat of the mammoth, you know, through that period of time that we were talking about. So they had this very thick outer coat. And then closer to the skin, there was a much finer hair, a sort of underwall.

Living elephants, although they sort of appear naked from a distance, you know, close up, they do have a sparse covering of hair. So the hair was there to evolve into the thicker coat of the mammoth, you know, through that period of time that we were talking about. So they had this very thick outer coat. And then closer to the skin, there was a much finer hair, a sort of underwall.

Living elephants, although they sort of appear naked from a distance, you know, close up, they do have a sparse covering of hair. So the hair was there to evolve into the thicker coat of the mammoth, you know, through that period of time that we were talking about. So they had this very thick outer coat. And then closer to the skin, there was a much finer hair, a sort of underwall.

It's a bit like cotton wool, actually. as a second kind of insulating layer. Then there was a fat layer underneath the skin. So they were well protected against the cold. What do we know about mammoth feet? Yeah, I mean, they did have fur on, but it wasn't specially long fur.

It's a bit like cotton wool, actually. as a second kind of insulating layer. Then there was a fat layer underneath the skin. So they were well protected against the cold. What do we know about mammoth feet? Yeah, I mean, they did have fur on, but it wasn't specially long fur.

It's a bit like cotton wool, actually. as a second kind of insulating layer. Then there was a fat layer underneath the skin. So they were well protected against the cold. What do we know about mammoth feet? Yeah, I mean, they did have fur on, but it wasn't specially long fur.