Mammoth tooth..Can we tell species?

[tooth_claw]

A quick one for the experts...

Can we tell what species this Mammoth is?

I have no locality data etc. to help out, just wondering if it is possible to ID from the morphology.

Also, upper/lower, left/right? Turns out that my Mammoth ID skills are pretty much zero

Cheers!

[Shellseeker]

Number of ridges on the teeth and distance between them...

From Wikipedia:

Since many remains of each species of mammoth are known from several localities, it is possible to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the genus through morphological studies. Mammoth species can be identified from the number of enamel ridges (or lamellar plates) on their molars: primitive species had few ridges, and the number increased gradually as new species evolved to feed on more abrasive food items. The crowns of the teeth became deeper in height and the skulls became taller to accommodate this. At the same time, the skulls became shorter from front to back to minimise the weight of the head.^[8][9] The short, tall skulls of woolly and Columbian mammoths are the culmination of this process.^[6]

Excavation of a pygmy mammoth, which evolved from Columbian mammoths on the Channel Islands of California

The first known members of the genus Mammuthus are the African species M. subplanifrons from the Pliocene, and M. africanavus from the Pleistocene. The former is thought to be the ancestor of later forms. Mammoths entered Europe around 3 million years ago. The earliest European mammoth has been named M. rumanus; it spread across Europe and China. Only its molars are known, which show that it had 8–10 enamel ridges. A population evolved 12–14 ridges, splitting off from and replacing the earlier type, becoming M. meridionalis about 2–1.7 million years ago. In turn, this species was replaced by the steppe mammoth (M. trogontherii) with 18–20 ridges, which evolved in eastern Asia around 2–1.5 million years ago.^[8] The Columbian mammoth evolved from a population of M. trogontherii that had crossed the Bering Strait and entered North America about 1.5 million years ago; it retained a similar number of molar ridges. Mammoths derived from M. trogontherii evolved molars with 26 ridges 400,000 years ago in Siberia and became the woolly mammoth (M. primigenius). Woolly mammoths entered North America about 100,000 years ago.^[6]

A population of Columbian mammoths that lived between 80,000 and 13,000 years ago on the Channel Islands of California, 10 km (6.2 mi) away from the mainland, evolved to be less than half the size of the mainland Columbian mammoths. They are therefore considered to be the distinct species M. exilis, the pygmy mammoth (or a subspecies, M. c. exilis). These mammoths presumably reached the islands by swimming there when sea levels were lower, and decreased in size due to the limited food provided by the islands' small areas. Bones of larger specimens have also been found on the islands, but it is unknown whether these were stages in the dwarfing process, or later arrivals of Columbian mammoths.^[7][10][11]

[Darktooth]

Nice tooth!

[abyssunder]

Also you can see here the differences between the teeth, in the specimens of Natural History Museum.

Mammuthus rumanus

Mammuthus meridionalis (southern mammoth)

Mammuthus trogontherii (steppe mammoth)

Mammuthus primigenius (woolly mammoth)

Mammuthus columbi (columbian mammoth)

Edited April 4, 2016 by abyssunder

[Shellseeker]

I am not positive, so hopeful that experts may comment: The measurement between the chewing surface and the bottom of the roots is longer in upper teeth than in lower teeth.

So I think your tooth is an upper left from a Steepe or its descendant the Colombian mammoth in NA. Might as well put up a target for others to shoot at...

[tooth_claw]

Thanks for all the input folks, any advice here can save me hours (days? weeks?) on my quest to identify the beast.

I will probably end up owning this specimen so I am keen to learn a bit about it if I can.

All of the background I have is a label that says it is 30,000 years old (probably a guess as the country of origin is not known). The specimen was bought as part of a private collection by someone who was only after the crystals/minerals in said lot- the fossil is surplus.

[ElToro]

Yea, I rekon a M. trogontherii tooth. They were massive beasts! Much bigger than the Woolley Mammoth... Very cool...