122 MIGHTY ANIMALS 



strength of muscle, and in length of body, but not in 

 height. The chief difference, however, between these 

 two species of elephants was in their teeth, for those 

 of the Mammoth show a much closer relation to 

 the true elephant than do those of the Mastodon. 



It is thought by some scientists that the Masto- 

 dons were in America for a long time before the 

 Mammoths appeared and that they lived here 

 after the Mammoths had disappeared. Some even 

 believe that early man in America saw the living 

 Mastodons, but no positive proof of this has been 

 found. But we do know that this country con- 

 tained many other kinds of gigantic animals when 

 the elephants were living here. Among these animals 

 were bisons which measured ten feet between the 

 horn tips ; horses fully as big as any now in existence ; 

 water rats as large as bears ; stags of amazing size ; 

 huge sloths and many other creatures now found only 

 in warm countries. In those days all the countries 

 in the world that are now cold had milder climates, 

 although the vegetation was beginning to be much 

 like that of the present time. There were dense 

 forests all over America, and the grasses and bushes 



