Dodo and mammoth extinction: investigate the evidence
Explore the dodo and woolly mammoth, then investigate what we know about their final chapters.
Animal questions, answered with evidence
Start with a direct answer, then follow the profile for more questions, references and a learning challenge.
Why did the dodo go extinct?
People hunted dodos, changed their habitat and introduced animals that preyed on birds or eggs. These pressures reached a species whose entire natural range was one island. Its disappearance was not evidence that it was poorly adapted to its original home.
Explore dodo facts and evidence ↗
Oxford University Museum of Natural History · Dodo evidence ↗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.
Explore woolly mammoth facts and evidence ↗
Natural History Museum · Mammoth relatives, habitats and extinction ↗Begin with the place.
The dodo was native to Mauritius. The last known woolly mammoth population survived on Wrangel Island. Find each exhibit on the globe, then compare the featured habitats. Modern map locations help you orient yourself; the scenery is an artistic interpretation.
Take the island discovery trail ↗Keep the uncertainty visible.
The dodo’s last reliable sighting is usually dated to 1662; this does not establish the exact year the last individual died. The final cause of the Wrangel mammoths’ extinction remains unresolved. Ask what evidence supports each statement and what remains unknown.
Read the extinction stories ↗Bring a question home.
Use the free Island Survivors worksheet to separate a recorded observation from an unsupported conclusion. Sketch a feature, locate the islands and propose a kind of evidence that could help answer your own question. An answer guide and source links are included.
Download the free discovery kit ↗Evidence you can explore.
This guide builds on the curated exhibits whose references were checked on 9 October 2026. Illustrations and scenery are interpretations. Linked references are not a claim of independent expert certification.