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We can only guess why mammoths became extinct. Climate change is probably responsible. The large animals could only adapt poorly to it
Why mammoths became extinct: A possible explanation
There are various theories as to why mammoths became extinct. One of the main causes is attributed to climate change.
- About 10,000 years ago, there was a climate change that led to warming and changed the mammoth’s habitat. The mammoth was adapted to the cold climate of the Ice Age. The new conditions in which the mammoths lived became increasingly unsuitable for them.
- In addition, human activities also played a role in the extinction of the mammoths. The hunting of the animals by humans could have contributed to their populations being severely decimated.
- Another scientific hypothesis suggests that the mammoths became extinct due to the increased growth of forests, which destroyed their habitat. As grass was the animals’ main source of food and this grew inadequately in the forests, this led to nutritional problems.
- All in all, it is likely that a combination of different factors led to the extinction of the mammoths. Today, they can only be found in the form of fossils and in a few well-preserved carcasses.
Humans accelerated the extinction of the mammoths
Humans are also thought to have played a role in the extinction of mammoths by hunting them
- There is now archaeological evidence that humans hunted mammoths in the past to feed on their meat and use their skin and bones for various purposes. Stone Age cave paintings already show people hunting mammoths.
- The hunting behavior could have contributed to the decimation of their populations. Especially during the last ice age, when humans lived in closer interaction with the mammoths, hunting these animals may have contributed to their decline.
- Hunting alone was probably not enough to explain the extinction of the mammoths. As already mentioned, other factors such as climate change also played a role in the disappearance of these impressive animals.
