Mammutidae is an extinct family of proboscideans belonging to Elephantimorpha. It is best known for the mastodons which inhabited North America from the Late Miocene until their extinction at the beginning of the Holocene around 11,000 years ago. The earliest fossils of the group are known from the Late Oligocene of Africa, around 24 million years ago, and fossils of the group have also been found across Eurasia. The name "mastodon" derives from Greek, μαστός "nipple" and ὀδούς "tooth", referring to their characteristic teeth.