What is the Difference Between Mastodons and Mammoths?
Although mastodons resembled mammoths (also extinct) and elephants, they were not closely related mammal species. Mastodons, mammoths, and elephants last shared a common ancestor 15 million years ago when mastodons diverged, ultimately evolving into the animal seen here. This divergence occurred long before the evolutionary split between elephants and mammoths, which occurred about 4 million years ago. A major difference between mastodons and mammoths was the shape, structure, and function of their molar teeth. Mastodon molar teeth had pointed cusps used to cut and crush the coarse, often woody, plants on which they fed. In fact, the name mastodon is derived from Greek words describing the shape of its teethmastos, meaning breast, and odous, meaning tooth. In contrast, mammoths and elephants had molar teeth that were flattened on top, suitable for grazing on grasses. The different diets of mastodons and mammoths suggest that they behaved differently.
