Estonian scientists: Extinction of mammoths not caused by climate change

Extinction of mammoths not caused by climate change, Estonian scientists said. Photo: Sille Annuk / Tartu Postimees

Researchers from the Department of Geology of Tallinn University of Technology together with an international working group have made new discoveries about the life of Siberian mammoths at the peak of the last ice age, considered one of the coldest periods in the recent history of the Earth, and their research casts doubt on the assumption that environmental conditions became unsurvivable for mammoths.

The research findings, published in the scientific journal Quaternary Science Reviews, focus on the southeastern part of Western Siberia, a region that has been little studied to date. The study analyzed the isotopic compositions of mammoth teeth and tusks, which provided scientists with valuable information about the climate and living environment at the time.

The lead researcher, Ivan Krivokorin, explained that for a long time it was believed that the last glacial maximum was so cold and inhospitable that mammoths had to constantly struggle for survival.

"However, our results suggest that the climate warmed between 28,000 and 22,000 years ago, and the living conditions in the southeastern part of Western Siberia were not as harsh as previously thought. Thus, mammoths were able to live there in conditions that did not differ significantly from those of their European peers at the time," he said.

The researchers discovered that the habitat of mammoths in Western Siberia was much more diverse than previously thought. The climate there became warmer over time, which could have provided more suitable living conditions for mammoths. This finding challenges the hypothesis that climate change alone led to the extinction of mammoths.

The study highlights diet as another important aspect of mammoths' demise. Krivokorin and his colleagues believe that climate change was not the sole cause of the extinction of mammoths, but that the availability of nutrients also played a significant role.

"Our research suggests that diet and nutrient availability may have been a key factor influencing the extinction of mammoths," Krivokorin added. "Further analyses, such as studies of carbon and nitrogen isotopes, will help to clarify whether nutrient deficiency may have been one of the causes of the disappearance of these large animals."

The study not only sheds light on the life of mammoths and the history of climate change but also helps us understand how climate change affects large herbivores today. Studying the life of mammoths can provide us with valuable insights into how climate change has impacted ecosystems in the past and how it may affect large animals today, Krivokorin says.

In addition to exploring the lives of mammoths, these new discoveries may also provide clues as to how people lived and migrated in the same area at the time. Were they able to survive in these climatic conditions? How far did they migrate and how did they coexist with mammoths? These are questions that the scientists plan to look for answers to in further research.