where and when did they die last mammoths? The question was answered by scientists. End woolly mammoths or tundra mammoths An Earthman living on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean in northern Siberia, and They died in a very short time 4000 years ago. An international research team from the Universities of Helsinki and Tübingen and the Russian Academy of Sciences has reconstructed the scenario that may have led to the recent extinction of this species.
Researchers believe there is a combination isolated habitat and extreme weather events, and even the spread of prehistoric man may have determined the fate of these ancient giants.
The study, published in the “Quaternary Science Reviews” journal, indicates that mammoths spread across the northern hemisphere from Spain to Alaska during the last ice age, about 100,000 to 15,000 years ago. because of Global warming that started 15,000 years ago, its habitat was reduced to northern Siberia and Alaska. On Wrangel Island, some specimens were cut off from the mainland due to rising sea levels; this population survived for another 7,000 years.
The team of researchers from Finland, Germany and Russia studied the carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and strontium isotopic compositions of a large assemblage of mammoth bones and tusks from Northern Siberia, Alaska, Yukon and Wrangel Island, ranging from 40,000 to 4,000 years old. . The purpose was to document. possible dietary changes Search mammoths and their habitats and find evidence of disturbance in their environment.
They disappeared when everything was going well
The results showed that the collagen carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of the Wrangel Island mammoths did not change. climate warmed about 10,000 years ago. In the midst of apparently favorable and stable living conditions, the values ​​remained unchanged until the mammoths disappeared.
This result includes woolly mammoths in the Ukrainian-Russian plains that died out 15,000 years ago and St. It contradicts the findings on mammoths on Paul Island. In both cases, the last representatives of these populations showed Significant changes in isotopic compositionshows changes in their environment shortly before they became locally extinct.
Previous cDNA studies show that Wrangel Island mammoths suffered mutations that affected their fat metabolism. In this study, the team interesting difference Between Wrangel Island mammoths and their ice age Siberian ancestors: carbonate carbon isotope values ​​indicated a difference in fat and carbohydrates in the populations’ diets.
“We think this reflects the tendency of Siberian mammoths to rely on their fat stores for survival. extremely harsh winters Wrangel mammoths living in milder conditions don’t need them, says Laura Arppe of the Luomus Finnish Natural History Museum at the University of Helsinki, who led the research team.
they couldn’t find food
So why did the last woolly mammoths suddenly disappear? Investigators suspect they died due to short-lived events. extreme weather, for example rain in the snowthat is, an icing event could cover the ground with a thick layer of ice, preventing animals from finding enough food. This could have led to a dramatic population decline and eventual extinction.
“Your population is perhaps already weakened by genetic disruption “Drinking water quality problems could have been overcome after an extreme weather event,” says Professor Hervé Bocherens of the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen.
Another possible factor could be: spread of people. The first archaeological evidence of humans on Wrangel Island dates back several hundred years after the last mammoth bone. The chances of finding evidence of humans hunting Wrangel Island mammoths are very slim. However, the contribution of a human to its extinction cannot be underestimated.
The study shows that small, isolated populations of large mammals are particularly at risk of extinction. extreme environmental influences and human behavior. An important implication is that we can help conserve species by protecting populations that are not isolated from each other.
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Source: Informacion
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