Researchers Reveal Extinction of St Paul Island Woolly Mammoths

Researchers Reveal Extinction of St Paul Island Woolly Mammoths | Shop Woolly Mammoth Jewelry

The majority of woolly mammoths have been extinct for a minimum of 10,000-100,000 years. But new research about woolly mammoths living on a remote island off the coast of Alaska are the subject of a scientific investigation by Prof Russell Graham, from Pennsylvania State University. Graham has focused on a group of woolly mammoths that lived on St Paul Island, located in the Bering Sea, for another 4,500 years. 

Scientists have long believed that the woolly mammoths became extinct due to human hunting and environmental connections. It's hoped that some of the research conclusions will have applications to human and animal populations living in areas impacted by climate change.

As the Earth warmed up after the Ice Age, sea levels rose, much as they are today across the globe. Prof Graham believes that as ocean salt water levels rose, available land mass on St Paul Island was reduced, along with necessary for survival freshwater watering holes.