Why Did the Woolly Mammoth Die Out?

Woolly mammoths are extinct relatives of today’s elephants. Although the word “mammoth” has come to mean “huge,” woolly mammoths were about the size of elephants. Yes, woolly mammoths led lives similar – but colder – to modern-day elephants. They were well adapted to their environment. They could survive in the cold, dry tundra of the Ice Age. They used their large tusks to brush away snow as they looked for food. Moreover, their fur insulated them from the cold.

But then, 10,000 years or so ago their numbers began to dwindle. And they eventually became extinct 4,000 years ago. But what really led to the disappearance of these animals from the planet? What was the real cause of their demise?

The popular reason often given for the extinction of the woolly mammoth is climate change. As the Earth began to heat up, the world’s climate became too hot for the mammoths to live. After all, they evolved to live in a much colder environment.

It’s true that the changes to Earth’s climate affected the mammoth. But was climate change the only culprit of their extinction? Nope! The human influence was also significant. When the Ice Age ended and temperatures got warmer, vast areas of the world became habitable for humans. They went northwards and explored new territories. As humans spread out, they came into contact with woolly mammoths. And they began to hunt them for their meat, bones and skin.

In short, yeah, climate change dealt the mammoth a crippling blow, but human hunters landed the killer blow and made them an extinct species.