Humans Had Significant Role in the Extinction of the Woolly Mammoth

Woolly mammoths persisted in Siberia until the mid-Holocene. Credit: Mauricio Anton

New research shows that humans had a significant role in the extinction of woolly mammoths in Eurasia, occurring thousands of years later than previously thought.

An international team of scientists led by researchers from the University of Adelaide and University of Copenhagen, has revealed a 20,000-year pathway to extinction for the woolly mammoth.

“Our research shows that humans were a crucial and chronic driver of population declines of woolly mammoths, having an essential role in the timing and location of their extinction,” said lead author Associate Professor Damien Fordham from the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute.

“Using computer models, fossils, and ancient Humans Had Significant Role in the Extinction of the Woolly Mammoth