The Last Stand of the Woolly Mammoths: Secrets of Survival and Mysterious Extinction on Wrangel Island

The woolly mammoths on Wrangel Island, derived from a very small initial population, sustained themselves for 6,000 years despite genetic hurdles. Their sudden extinction remains a mystery, providing lessons for contemporary conservation efforts. Credit: Beth Zaiken

Initially descended from no more than eight individuals, this group expanded to 200-300 members. While genetic issues didn’t directly cause their extinction, it remains unclear what ultimately led to their demise.

Compared to their mainland ancestors, the Wrangel Island mammoth genomes showed signs of inbreeding and low genetic diversity. In addition to overall low genetic diversity, they showed reduced diversity in the major histocompatibility complex, a group of genes known to play a critical role in the vertebrate immune response.

Technology Technology Latest News, Technology Technology Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

The last woolly mammoths were impressively inbred—but that’s not what killed themAndrew Paul is Popular Science's staff writer covering tech news. Previously, he was a regular contributor to The A.V. Club and Input, and has had recent work featured by Rolling Stone, Fangoria, GQ, Slate, NBC, as well as McSweeney's Internet Tendency. He lives outside Indianapolis.
Source: PopSci - 🏆 298. / 63 Read more »