There are three elephant species alive today. However, these large land mammals used to be much more widespread and diverse. For instance, several elephants, like Tetralophodon longirostris, had four tusks instead of two. Others, like the Woolly Mammoth, had adaptations like fur coats to survive colder climates.

Why Did These Early Elephants Go Extinct

Several factors worked in tandem to drive many of these prehistoric elephants to extinction. Early humans hunted them for food, as a single mammoth could feed a tribe for weeks. Additionally, their tusks were often crafted into tools and weapons.

Climate change also played a major role. As the Ice Age ended, temperatures rose, leading to the extinction of many large, fur-covered mammals, including mammoths. Elephants that lived in more temperate regions, like the Cretan Dwarf Mammoth, also struggled to adapt to the changing environment. Many elephants also shrank in size due to being isolated over a small area – a phenomenon called insular dwarfism – making it even harder for them to adjust to drastic climate or environmental changes.

It’s hard to pinpoint a single cause for their decline. A mix of factors — including hunting, disease, and changes in climate and diet — most likely contributed to their extinction.

List of Elephants That Went Extinct

Name	Characteristics	Where Did It Live	When Did It Become Extinct	Reason for Extinction
Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)	1. About the same size as modern-day African Elephants 2. Adapted to survive in the cold thanks to their fur coats	Northern Eurasia, North America	Around 4,000 years ago, though most of the population died out around 10,000 years ago	While the exact reasons are unclear, scientists postulate that it may have been due to overhunting by humans or rising temperatures
American Mastodon (Mammut americanum)	1. Possessed 16 ft long tusks	North America	Around 10,000 years ago	Victim of the Quaternary extinction event
Deinotherium giganteum	1. Closely resembled the modern tapir instead of an elephant	Eurasia and Africa	Over 2 million years ago	Loss of their forested habitats for more open grasslands as a result of changing climates
Aphanobelodon zhaoi	1. Lacked upper tusks	China and other parts of East Asia	About 9-10 million years ago	Most likely a victim of a mass extinction event
Anancus arvernensis	1. Approximate height was around 8 ft	Europe, North Africa	About 2 million years ago	Inefficient feeding
European Straight-tusked Elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)	1. Dwarf elephant that was approximately 3.3 ft in height 2. Believed to be a mixed feeder	Eurasia	About 30,000 years ago	Decline in favorable climate conditions, combined with extensive human overhunting
Channel Islands Mammoth (Mammuthus exilis)	1. Shrank in size due to insular dwarfism 2. Thrived in multiple ecosystems, including dunes, grasslands, and riparian habitats	Channel Islands, California	About 12,000 years ago	Victim of the Quaternary extinction event
Colombian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi)	1. Closely related to the modern Asian Elephant 2. One of the largest mammoths, around 13 ft in height and up to 12 metric tons in weight	North America, Central America	About 10,000 years ago	Rise in temperature combined with the arrival of humans
Cretan Dwarf Mammoth (Mammuthus creticus)	1. Probably lived in temperate habitats with broad-leaf trees and conifers 2. Tusks may have been twisted in males but straight in females	Crete	About 10,000 years ago	Unclear
Naumann’s Elephant (Palaeoloxodon naumanni)	1. Approximately 7 ft in height and 3.5 tonnes in weight 2. Dentition indicates mixed feeding behavior	Japan	About 24,000 years ago	Most likely a victim of the Last Ice Age
Barytherium grave	1. Closely resembled modern tapirs or elephant seals 2. Probably used its tusks to shear vegetation to eat	Egypt, North Africa	About 30 million years ago	Unclear
Elephas planifrons	1. One of the earliest elephants to appear outside of Africa 2. Evidence suggests it was a grazer	Asia, most notably the Indian subcontinent	About 1.5-3 million years ago	Unclear
Cuvieronius hyodon	1. Approximately 7 ft in height and 3.5 tonnes in weight 2. Dentition indicates mixed feeding behavior	South America	About 11,000 years ago	Victim of the Quaternary extinction event
Loxodonta adaurora	1. Ancestor of the modern African Elephant	East Africa	About 3-5 million years ago	Unclear
Amebelodon fricki	1. Had a unique set of lower tusks that were flat and long 2. Although often portrayed in literature with a short trunk, experts now believe it actually had a long trunk like modern elephants	North America	About 10 million years ago	Loss of its grazing areas due to changing environments
Loxodonta exoptata	1. Ancestor of the modern African Elephant	East Africa	About 2.5-3 million years ago	Unclear
Gomphotherium hannibali	1. Like other members of its family, it had two sets of tusks 2. Assumed to be a browser or a mixed feeder	Europe, North America	About 5 million years ago	Victim of the Quaternary extinction event
Mammuthus africanavus	1. Ancient species of mammoth related to the African Elephant	North Africa	About 3 million years ago	Unclear
Mammuthus rumanus	1. Earliest mammoth to appear outside of Africa 2. Most likely browsed in open environments	Europe	About 2-4 million years ago	Most likely caused by humans hunting them
Steppe Mammoth (Mammuthus trogontherii)	1. Ancestor of the Woolly Mammoth 2. One of the largest mammoths, at a shoulder height of 13 ft and a body weight of 11 tons	Eurasia	About 100,000 years ago	Replaced by the Woolly Mammoth over time
Palaeoloxodon falconeri	1. Descendent of the Straight-tusked Elephant 2. Small in size, around 3.3 ft at the shoulder	Malta, Sicily, and the other Mediterranean Islands	About 10,000 years ago	Loss of resources due to climate and environmental change
Palaeoloxodon jolensis	1. Ancestor of the African Elephant 2. Primarily a grazer	Ethiopia	About 2.5 million years ago	Replaced by the modern African Elephant
Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis	1. Likely shrank by 90% due to insular dwarfism and a lack of large predators	Mediterranean Islands	About 10,000 years ago	Unclear
Palaeoloxodon namadicus	1. Believed to be the largest land mammal to have ever lived, with a single tusk estimated to be 12 feet long and 260 lbs in weight 2. Dentition indicates it was a grazer	Indian Subcontinent	About 24,000 years ago	Loss of forested areas
Palaeoloxodon recki	1. Most dominant elephant species in East Africa for a long time 2. Dentition indicates grazing behavior	East Africa	About 500,000 years ago	Overhunted by humans
Phanagoroloxodon mammontoides	1. Strongly resembled other mammoths and early elephants	Europe	About 2 million years ago	Unclear
Primelephas gomphotheroides	1. Possessed four tusks	East Africa	About 2- 4 million years ago	Unclear
Tetralophodon longirostris	1. Possessed four tusks 2. Dentition indicates browsing behavior	Europe	About 8-10 million years ago	Victim of the Quaternary extinction event
Southern Mammoth (Mammuthus meridionalis)	1. Approximately 11-13 ft in height and about 7-10 tons in weight 2. Dentition indicates mixed feeding behavior	Europe	About 1-1.5 million years ago	Most likely a result of overhunting by humans
Stegotetrabelodon syrticus	1. Possessed extremely large lower tusks 2. Potentially lived in herds	Africa	About 6 million years ago	Unclear
Stegoxolodon celebensis	1. Believed to be about 4.9 ft tall as a result of insular dwarfism 2. Dentition indicates mixed feeding	Sulawesi, Indonesia	About 10 million years ago	Unclear
Stegoxolodon indonesicus	1. As a result of isolation, these elephants are smaller in size 2. The presence of skeletons from other elephant species in its environment suggests that it might have peacefully coexisted with them	Java, Indonesia	About 10 million years ago	Unclear
Selenetherium kolleensis	1. Little is known about this elephant	Chad	About 30 million years ago	Unclear

Note: Not every extinct elephant is represented here, as some have very little information about them, while new ones continue to be discovered.