Lou.gruber · Original image & credits · Public domain
Image is cropped for display. View uncropped original
Woolly mammoth
Mammuthus primigenius
Explore the woolly mammoth’s elephant relatives, vegetated ice-age habitat and late island survival. Compare evidence with familiar reconstructions.
Also known as mammoth
- Featured region
- Wrangel Island
- Time
- Last survivors: about 4,000 years ago
- Habitat
- Cold grasslands and tundra
- Diet
- Herbivore
Questions, adaptations and evidence
Explore the woolly mammoth’s elephant relatives, vegetated ice-age habitat and late island survival. Compare evidence with familiar reconstructions.
Start with the questions below, follow the linked evidence, then try the discovery challenge with someone else.
Field observations
- Wrangel Island was the refuge of the last known surviving woolly mammoth population.
- That island population persisted for roughly 6,000 years after becoming isolated.
- The final cause of its extinction remains a scientific question.
Map points represent broad historical or habitat regions, not live sightings or exact dig locations.
Questions worth exploring
DodoHistory field notes · Sources checked
When did woolly mammoths go extinct?
They disappeared at different times in different places. The Natural History Museum describes survival on St Paul Island until about 5,600 years ago and on Wrangel Island until about 4,000 years ago. One extinction date can hide this regional history.
Natural History Museum · Mammoth relatives, habitats and extinction ↗Were mammoths related to modern elephants?
Yes. Mammoths and living elephants belong to the elephant family. Mammoths did not turn into modern elephants: their evolutionary branches were related but distinct.
Natural History Museum · Mammoth relatives, habitats and extinction ↗Did woolly mammoths live only in deep snow?
No. Cold adaptation did not mean living without vegetation. They used plant-rich landscapes, generally away from deep snow cover. A snowy reconstruction can suggest the climate while leaving out the food supply.
Natural History Museum · Mammoth relatives, habitats and extinction ↗Were all mammoths woolly?
The woolly mammoth was one of several mammoth species. Preserved tissue and DNA provide different kinds of evidence about their coats; scientists cannot simply give every earlier species the same thick hair.
Natural History Museum · Mammoth relatives, habitats and extinction ↗
