News Paleontology

The last woolly mammoths offer new clues to why the species went extinct

An analysis of 21 mammoth genomes suggests that inbreeding wasn't actually the cause of the behemoth's demise

An illustration of a mammoth standing on snowy land with a giant tusk and ribcage on the ground. In the background, the sun sets on a cloudy sky.

The world’s last woolly mammoths lived on what is now Wrangel Island off of mainland Siberia. Despite the small population, a new study says inbreeding did not doom them to extinction.

Beth Zaiken

By Claire Yuan

Four thousand years ago, on an island off the coast of what is now Siberia, the world’s last woolly mammoth took its final breath.