A woolly mammoth was a huge, elephant-like animal covered in thick, shaggy fur that lived during the Ice Age and went extinct about 4,000 years ago. These massive creatures stood up to 11 feet tall at the shoulder (taller than a basketball hoop) and weighed as much as six tons. Their most striking features were their long, curved tusks, which could grow up to 15 feet long, and their coat of reddish-brown wool that kept them warm in freezing climates.

Woolly mammoths roamed across northern Europe, Asia, and North America when much of the world was covered in ice and snow. They used their tusks to sweep snow away from the grass they ate, and their trunks to grasp food, just like modern elephants do. Ancient humans hunted woolly mammoths for food and used their bones and tusks to build shelters.

Scientists have found remarkably well-preserved woolly mammoths frozen in the permafrost of Siberia, complete with fur, skin, and even stomach contents. These discoveries have taught us details about how these animals lived. Today, some researchers are studying mammoth DNA in hopes of bringing the species back, though that remains controversial and extremely difficult.