Pygmy mammoth | 台北市立動物園資訊網

ThepygmymammothorChannelIslandsmammoth(Mammuthusexilis)isanextinctspeciesofdwarfelephantdescendedfromtheColumbianmammoth(M.

Species of mammoth

The pygmy mammoth or Channel Islands mammoth (Mammuthus exilis) is an extinct species of dwarf mammoth native to the northern Channel Islands off the coast of southern California during the Late Pleistocene. It was descended from the Columbian mammoth (M. columbi) of mainland North America, which are suggested to have colonised the islands around 250–150,000 years ago. At only 1.72–2.02 m (5.6–6.6 ft) tall at the shoulder, it was around 17% the size of its mainland ancestor. The species became extinct around 13,000 years ago, co-inciding with major environmental change and the arrival of humans in the Channel islands.

Mammoth remains have been known on the northern Channel Islands of California since 1856. They were first reported in scientific literature in 1873.[2]

In 1994 the National Park Service called in scientists to inspect an uncovered, unidentified skeleton found on the northeast coast of Santa Rosa I...