american mastodon

Meaning

An extinct, elephant-like mammal that lived in North and Central America during the Pleistocene epoch, characterized by its shaggy coat and conical, cusp-shaped teeth.

Examples

• Paleontologists recently discovered a well-preserved American mastodon in a peat bog.
• Unlike the woolly mammoth, the American mastodon was primarily a forest-dweller that browsed on leaves and twigs.