A mammoth is a member of the extinct elephantid genus Mammuthus. They lived from the late Miocene epoch into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabiting Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Mammoths are distinguished from living elephants by their spirally twisted tusks and in some later species, the development of numerous adaptions to living in cold environments, including a thick layer of fur.