Island dwarf mammoth

Island dwarf Mammoth
File:MammothDorf.jpg
A dwarf mammoth sadled for riding stops during it's trip through the snow.
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	Elephantidae
Genus:	Mammuthus
Species:	M.Minor
Binomial name
Mammuthus minor Hylfred Görenssen, 1785
File:MammothHabitat.png
Habitat

The island dwarf mammoth is one of two species of mammoth that inhabits Scandera and it inhabits the islands like Asterarna, Nordan arna, isarna, Jarnarna and Sundet as well as the mainland region called the southern sunplains in Southern Imeriata proper. While it is a distinct species so have it been known to be able to mate with the woolly mammoth on the mainland to produce so called "sma mammut" or "Small mammoth" if the dwarf mammoth is the male and a so called "jarn mammoth" or Iron mammoth when the dwarf mammoth is the female, however so are both of these species rare and all but unheard of in the wild.

Etymology

The dwarf mammoth's name in the good old tongue is "dvärga mammut" which comes from the urmåls name "Dferig mastodir!"

History

Historically so have the dwarf mammoth been domesticated and used a lot in Scanderan agriculture as it is larger than a ox but still does not require as much food as a regular mammoth. This have made the sight of castrated bull dwarf mammoths is a familiar one and it is said that Falnmar and Falnvir (the god of framing and sowing respectively) rides on a pair of Dwarf mammoths.

Taxonomy

Just as most of the larger and more important species in Scandera so is the dwarf mammoth mentioned at the first time in a organised book where it is given an entirely scientific description and is given a latin name and classification is in "di landlefande djuren" by Hylfred Görenssen, that he wrote in 1785.

Anatomy and health

File:DorfMammothSize.png

Size compared to a human

The dwarf mammoth is a mammoth that have been effected by insular dwarfism. Compared to it's four and a half meter tall mammoth relatives on the mainland. The mammoth is covered in a thick coarse layer of brown fur to protect it from the cold winter climate of Scandera and it's fur remains to this day a valued material to make winter clothes from.

While the mammoth itself does not normally grows larger than two meters tall so can it become almost three meters long and weights about 800 kg. However it's most impressive feature is it's long tusks that can grow to be an entire meter tall which it uses to fend of predators.

Reproduction

The mammoth lives in large herds of animals that have a mating period of that lasts from middle of august to late September after which the female will carry her child for up to 20 months after which she gives birth to a single calf. The calf then follows his or her mother closely in the large herd for two years before it becomes a more independent member of the her and the female will mate again. However so does a female mammoth grows until she reaches an age of 25 years while a male mammoth will grow until he is 45.

Diet

As a herbivore so is the food of the island dwarf mammoth rather limited and it mostly eats grass, shrubberies, flowers and smaller trees. However as it is a good swimmer so is it also known to be able to swim in close to the island and eat seaweed as well even if the tall grass that grows on most of the islands are the favourite food of the small little creature.

Behaviour

While the dwarf mammoth is a calm and friendly creature when it is not threatened so is it known to back, back into a large circle consisting of the rest of the animals of it's herd once threatened to protect it's young and sick while it uses it's large fearful tusks to keep anyone foolish enough to threaten it at bay.

Life expectancy

Just as it's cousins on the mainland so can a dwarf mammoth grow as old as 60 years.