What is the Difference Between Mastodon and Mammoth?

Mastodons and mammoths were both large, extinct proboscideans that lived during the Pleistocene epoch, but they had distinct differences. Here are the key differences between mastodons and mammoths:

1. Size: Mastodons were shorter and stockier than mammoths, with mastodons weighing between 5 to 8 tons and growing up to about 2.3 to 2.8 meters at the shoulder, while mammoths weighed between 5.4 to 13 tons and grew up to about 2.5 to 4 meters at the shoulder.
2. Diet: Mastodons were wood browsers, with their molars having pointed cones specially adapted for eating woody browse, while mammoths were grazers, with their molars having flat surfaces for eating grass.
3. Teeth: Mastodon teeth had cone-shaped ridges, suitable for crushing twigs and other kinds of woody vegetation, while mammoth teeth had numerous parallel rows of low ridges, similar to those of modern elephants, suitable for grinding tough, silica-rich grasses.
4. Tusks: Mastodon tusks were straighter and shorter than mammoth tusks, which grew in a curve, sometimes even crossing in front of each other.
5. Head Shape: Mastodons had flatter heads, while mammoths had a distinctive knob on top of their skulls, formed by a bulbous protrusion of bone.
6. Evolutionary Relationship: Mastodons and mammoths were distantly related, with mastodons diverging from modern elephants and mammoths around 25 million years ago, while mammoths diverged around 5 million years ago.
7. Extinction: Both mammoths and mastodons became extinct around 10,000 years ago.

Comparative Table: Mastodon vs Mammoth

Here is a table summarizing the differences between mastodons and mammoths:

Mastodons had flatter heads and sloping backs, while mammoths had a distinctive bump at the top of their skulls. Mastodons had straighter and shorter tusks compared to the curved and pointed tusks of mammoths. Mastodons' molars had cone-shaped cusps, suitable for crushing twigs and leaves, whereas mammoths had ridged molars, ideal for grinding tough grasses. Mastodons lived in forests and wooded areas, while mammoths inhabited grasslands and tundra. Both species went extinct approximately 10,000 years ago.