The mastodon is a distant relative to the elephant though it is slightly longer and lower to the ground, with shorter and thicker legs than the common elephant. Its head is slightly longer and taller than an elephant's and the mastodon's entire body is covered in thick fur of brown, gray, reddish-brown, yellowish-brown, or black. Its long, upward curving tusks are formed of ivory and are white or yellowish-white in color. Its eyes range from gray to brown to green. An average mastodon stands 20 feet tall.