Mastodon spec.; Print; Mastodons are any species of extinct proboscideans in the genus Mammut (family Mammutidae); distantly related to elephants; that inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of the Pleistocene 10; 000 to 11; 000 years ago. Mastodons lived in herds and were predominantly forest-dwelling animals that fed on a mixed diet obtained by browsing and grazing with a seasonal preference for browsing; similar to living elephants.; bones