The mastodon, a huge, hairy mammal, was a relative of the elephant. It lived until about 25,000 years ago.
It came from Europe and Asia and reached North America about ten million years ago during the late Miocene geological epoch. The fossil bones of this animal have been found in the United States. There are mounted skeletons in many of the larger museums.
These mammals were stockier in build than the elephant, and they had heavy tusks coming from both jaws.
It is believed that mastodons were still in existence in North America even when the first Indians came.
