Pliocene – E. Holocene Period – C. 2.58 million years ago – 0.012 million years ago

Order to which the fossil belongs: Proboscidea
Name of which the family belongs: Elephantidae
Informal name of the fossil: Mammoth

Mammoths (Mammonteus primigenius) first appeared in the African Pliocene but spread to Asia and Europe. Typical shoulder height of a Mammoth is 9ft to 20ft. Mammoths had a total of 6 teeth, three deciduous and three permanent sets, which can range in size from about an inch at birth to 9-12 inches in the sixth and final set.  The tooth of a mammoth consists of a series of plates which are composed of enamel surrounded by a dentine core, which is held together in a matrix of dental cement. Unlike in most mammals where teeth are lost vertically, mammoths tooth loss is horizontal, which means the new tooth grows from the back of the jaw and is slowly moved forward as it is worn down and replaced by a new tooth from behind.

A nice example with nice definition.

Provenance: From Norwich Crag at Easton Bavents.

Size: 146mm x 152mm