Ice Age Humans Mostly Killed Female Woolly Mammoths, Suggests Ancient DNA
Ancient DNA from 521 bones suggests humans hunted female mammoths, while natural deposits were mostly male, researchers said.
- An international team analyzing DNA from 521 woolly mammoths found that Ice Age humans selectively targeted female mammoths, with 70 percent of remains at butchering sites being female compared to 34 percent in natural settings.
- Female-Led herds followed more predictable migration routes than solitary males, making them easier for Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers to locate, according to lead author Hannah Moots, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Palaeogenetics.
- The analysis examined 11 major archaeological sites dating from 30,000 to 20,000 years ago, confirming these bone accumulations resulted from deliberate human hunting and creating the largest genetic dataset of its kind.
- Additionally, the study uncovered the first known case of X0/XX mosaicism—a genetic condition similar to Turner syndrome—in an extinct species, identified in a mammoth from Wrangel Island.
- These giant mammals provided essential resources for food, clothing, and ivory tools; recent advancements in ancient DNA technology made this biological discovery possible, Moots noted.
65 Articles
65 Articles
When we imagine the Ice Age, we might picture brave hunters taking on a single, giant, long-tusked male mammoth with spears. Ancient DNA paints a different picture: while male woolly mammoths were the most likely to fall into natural traps, the bone collections left behind by ancient humans overwhelmingly contain female bones.
DNA analysis of woolly mammoth remains suggests that prehistoric humans mainly hunted females, and a rare variation has also been found.
Ancient DNA Reveals Ice Age Hunters Targeted Female Mammoths
An international team of researchers has found that Ice Age humans predominantly hunted female woolly mammoths, according to the largest ancient DNA study of the species to date. Analysis of DNA from 521 mammoths showed that about 70% of remains found at butchering sites were female, compared with 34% at natural sites.According to the researchers, female mammoths lived in herds that followed predictable migration routes, making them easier for U…
Ice Age Hunters Deliberately Targeted Female Woolly Mammoths - Archaeology Magazine
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—DNA analysis of bones from more than 500 individual woolly mammoths suggests that Upper Paleolithic hunters in Eurasia and North America may have targeted female animals, according to a statement released by Stockholm University. “By comparing genetic sex ratios of hundreds of mammoths from natural settings with those found in these archaeological contexts, we can now infer that human activity was the primary driver behind thes…
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