Elephant vs. Mastodon — What's the Difference?

A large herbivorous mammal with a trunk.

An extinct, large herbivorous mammal.

A creature belonging to the Elephantidae family.

A prehistoric creature from the Mammutidae family.

A key figure in folklore and religion.

Noted for its conical-shaped teeth.

The largest land animal existing today.

Roamed during the Pleistocene epoch.

A symbol of memory or wisdom.

Distinct from mammoths and elephants.

Elephants are a select group of proboscideans belonging to the family Elephantidae. They are the largest existing land animals.

A mastodon (mastós 'breast' + odoús 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus Mammut (family Mammutidae) that inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of the Pleistocene 10,000 to 11,000 years ago. Mastodons lived in herds and were predominantly forest-dwelling animals that lived on a mixed diet obtained by browsing and grazing, somewhat similar to their distant relatives, modern elephants, but probably with greater emphasis on browsing.

Any of several very large herbivorous mammals of the family Elephantidae native to Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, having thick, almost hairless skin, a long, flexible, prehensile trunk, upper incisors forming long curved tusks of ivory, and, in the African species, large fan-shaped ears.

Any of several very large, extinct proboscidian mammals of the family Mammutidae of the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene Epochs, resembling elephants but having molar teeth of a different structure.

Any of various extinct animals of the family Elephantidae.

Extinct elephant-like mammal of the genus †Mammut that flourished worldwide from Miocene through Pleistocene times; differs from elephants and mammoths in the form of the molar teeth.

A mammal of the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and two large ivory tusks jutting from the upper jaw.

(figurative) Anything big or clunky.

(in particular) Any member of the subfamily Elephantinae not also of the genera Mammuthus and Primelephas.

An extinct genus of mammals closely allied to the elephant, but having less complex molar teeth, and often a pair of lower, as well as upper, tusks, which are incisor teeth. The species were mostly larger than elephants, and their remains occur in nearly all parts of the world in deposits ranging from Miocene to late Quaternary time.

(figuratively) Anything huge and ponderous.

Extinct elephant-like mammal that flourished worldwide from Miocene through Pleistocene times; differ from mammoths in the form of the molar teeth

Synonym of elephant paper

Used when counting to add length, so that each count takes about one second

Ivory.

(xiangqi) A xiangqi piece, that is moved two points diagonally, may not jump over intervening pieces and may not cross the river.

A mammal of the order Proboscidia and family Elephantidae, of which two living species, Elephas maximus (formerly Elephas Indicus) and Loxodonta Africana (formerly E. Africanus), and several fossil species, are known. They have five toes, a long proboscis or trunk, and two large ivory tusks proceeding from the extremity of the upper jaw, and curving upwards. The molar teeth are large and have transverse folds. Elephants are the largest land animals now existing. The elephant is classed as a pachyderm.

Ivory; the tusk of the elephant.

Five-toed pachyderm

The symbol of the Republican Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874

No, elephants are current mammals of the Elephantidae family, while mastodons, now extinct, were of the Mammutidae family.

Various factors, including climate change and human hunting, likely contributed to mastodon extinction.

Elephants have ridged molars, while mastodons had large conical teeth.

Mastodons primarily lived in North and Central America.

Mastodons were large, similar in size to modern elephants but varied in weight and height.

Elephant tusks are elongated incisors used for various tasks, from digging to defense.

Elephants are native to parts of Africa and Asia.

Yes, various global efforts aim to protect elephants from threats like poaching and habitat loss.

Yes, mastodons had long, curved tusks.

No, mastodons and elephants had separate evolutionary paths.

Elephants use a combination of vocal sounds, trunk gestures, and even seismic signals.

Teeth are a significant indicator; mastodons had conical teeth, while elephants have ridged molars.

Mastodons went extinct around 10,000 years ago.

Mastodon fossils offer valuable insights into prehistoric ecosystems and Earth's history.

It's believed that mastodons had a coat of hair, but not as woolly as mammoths.