How did the shoulder height of adult male woolly mammoths compare to African savanna elephants?
Answer
Generally slightly smaller
Although woolly mammoths were impressively large beasts engineered for the Ice Age tundra, adult males were generally slightly smaller when compared directly to their modern-day relatives, the African savanna elephants. The text specifies that while they were massive, their stature, often estimated around 3.3 meters (about 11 feet) at the shoulder, did not surpass that of the modern African relative. This comparison highlights that their evolutionary divergence prioritized insulation and efficiency for frigid environments over attaining the sheer tropical bulk seen in modern warm-climate cousins.
Related Questions
How did the shoulder height of adult male woolly mammoths compare to African savanna elephants?What constituted the innermost layer of the woolly mammoth's dense, insulating coat?What was the maximum recorded length for the woolly mammoth's long, coarse outer guard hairs?What was the primary stated function of the woolly mammoth's massive, curving tusks during winter months?What astonishing length could the elongated, heavily curved tusks of male woolly mammoths reach?What adaptation helped woolly mammoths minimize thermal energy loss through their extremities compared to modern elephants?How were the molars of woolly mammoths specialized for grazing on tough Ice Age vegetation structured?What material covered the numerous enamel plates of the mammoth's low-crowned molars?What is the leading theory regarding the function of the potential hump situated over the woolly mammoth's shoulders or back?Which ecological rules summarize the mammoth's adaptation of being bulkier with shorter limbs in cold environments?What important quality did the long guard hairs of the woolly mammoth possess to help repel moisture?What insulating resource worked in concert with the dense fur to help woolly mammoths maintain core temperature?