Why woolly mammoth became extinct

The Wrangel Island mammoth genome was previously mapped using well-preserved DNA from a 4,year-old molar. The new study built on previous research pointing to harmful mutations in the Wrangel Island mammoth.

With a population of just a few hundred, generations of mating between related individuals - inbreeding - triggered harmful mutations. Laura Geggel. See all comments There are innumerable woolly mammoths perfectly preserved frozen standing up, caught while eating and food still in their mouths. Alaska, Russia Explain again about their DNA causing that? Scientifically, that had to be caused by a worldwide catastrophe. Better re-analyze using ALL the known facts. I'm not able to find my copy of a Life magazine article on that fast-freeze woolly mammoth subject.

For some odd reason google won't list it in search results so I can find it. I remember delivering a speech on it in college in about and had photocopied the article from a Life magazine dated in the early '60s maybe late s if I my life depended on having that date correct. WhiteRobe said:. They were driven to extinction by environmental factors and possibly human hunting about 10, years ago.

Small island populations clung on until about 4, years ago. Knowledge of the last days of the mammoth could help modern species on the brink of extinction, such as the panda, mountain gorilla and Indian elephant. The lesson from the woolly mammoth is that once numbers drop below a certain level, the population's genetic health may be beyond saving.

Genetic testing could be one way to assess whether levels of genetic diversity in a species are enough to give it a chance of survival. A better option is to stop numbers falling too low. Scientists think the genetic mutations may have given the last woolly mammoths "silky, shiny satin fur". However, there are two known exceptions. The latter is the last-known location where mammoths survived in North America BC , while the Wrangel population lived until about BC.

The two hypotheses for why megafauna like the mammoth went extinct are climate change and hunting by humans. As the climate warmed, humans expanded into new territories that were formerly blocked by ice or too harsh to sustain life on an ongoing basis.

The populations on Saint Paul and Wrangel survived as long as they did probably because they were isolated from humans and therefore were not hunted. The oceans rose, turning Saint Paul into an island and trapping a group of mammoths in the process. Glacial melt might have isolated the population, but it is not what destroyed the population.