When Woolly Mammoths Lived On The Earth

There were thousands of organisms extinct in the Earth. Among them, only few animals fascinate our interest. The majestic woolly mammoth is one of them. The woolly mammoths were evolved from steppe mammoth 400,000 years ago in East Asia. They lived across the northern parts of Asia, Europe and North America. The Asian elephants are closely related to woolly mammoths. The woolly mammoths were similar to African elephants in size and weight. 

(Woolly Mammoths - Wikipedia)

They lived in ice age and had fur all over the body. They had long curved tusks and behaved like modern day elephants. The frozen bodies of woolly mammoths, discovered in Siberia and Alaska,help scientists to study about them in detail. 

The woolly mammoths were begun to extinct during the Quaternary Extinction Event. Most of the woolly mammoth populations were extinct between 14,000 and 10,000 years ago. Some of them were lived in Siberian Kyttyk Peninsula until 9,650 years ago and in St. Paul Island of Alaska until 5,600 years ago. The last population of the woolly mammoths were lived in Wrangel Island in Arctic Ocean until 4,000 years ago. Scientists suggest that the increased human activities and climate change might be the reason for the woolly mammoths’ extinction.

(Humans hunting Woolly Mammoth - Wikipedia)

Neanderthals and woolly mammoths were coexisted during the Middle Paleolithic period (300,000 to 30,000 years ago). Neanderthals hunted and ate the woolly mammoths. Modern humans also coexisted with the woolly mammoths during the Upper Paleolithic period (50,000 to 10,000 years ago). The humans settled in Arctic region 45,000 years ago too hunted the woolly mammoths. 

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(A replica of hut constructed with bones of Woolly Mammoth)

Neanderthals and modern humans were used bones and skins of the woolly mammoths to build huts. Such a bone hut built by the pre-historic humans was discovered in a Ukrainian village, Mezhyrich. 

They also used bones of the woolly mammoths to make tools, furniture and musical instruments. A flute made with mammoth bone was discovered in Germany. It was made between 30,000 and 37,000 years ago. Like horses and bison, the woolly mammoths were popular subject for the cave arts. The paintings of the woolly mammoths were found in the caves in France, Spain and Russia. Some of the paintings were 35,000 to 11,500 years old.

(Woolly Mammoth in a cave art - Wikipedia

The following historical events were happened when the woolly mammoths were still lived on the Earth:  

1.   The humans were settled in Crete island (Greek) 130,000 years ago and in Australia 40,000 years ago. The early humans might have used boats to reach those places. The earliest boat (canoe) was excavated in Pesse, Netherlands. It was around 10,000 years old.

2.    The mud bricks found at Tell Aswad (near Damascus), upper region of Tigirs and in Anatolia of Turkey were made before 7500 BC.

3.   Some evidences suggest that the Chinese were cultivating rice 9,400 years ago in Shangshan.

4.   The earliest ‘free-spinning’ wheel was found in Mesopotamia. It was made in 3500 BC as a potter’s wheel to make pots.  300 years after only, people started to use wheels for chariots. 

5.   The fermented alcoholic drinks dated 7000 BC were found in China. However, the earliest proof (3500-3100 BC) of beer and wine was discovered in an archaeological site of Godin Tepe in Iran. 

6.    The first dynasty of Egypt was created in 3100 BC.

7.   The Great Pyramid of Giza was built between 2580 and 2560 BC. The last population of woolly mammoths were lived in Wrangel Island at that time. 

Our fascination for the woolly mammoths is not just stopped in pre-historic era. Several scientists are willing to clone the woolly mammoths using the DNA recovered from the frozen carcasses of the woolly mammoths. 

(Related Article: Six interesting facts that make us to reconsider the concept of time)