Case 12 · Founder Lifetime · Earth & life
The extinction of woolly mammoths: Why did the woolly mammoths disappear?
In the app: “The Last Mammoths”
Wrangel Island, Arctic Ocean · 26,000 to 4,000 years ago
Why this question matters
Woolly mammoths were widespread in the last Ice Age, but a small population survived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic until about 4,000 years ago. Why they disappeared is still argued about. The case weighs climate change, human hunting and the risks faced by tiny populations.
The case briefing
Mammoths roamed the Ice Age world and then vanished, except on one remote island. Was it climate, hunters or bad luck? Weigh suspects that are still argued over.
The evidence
The exhibits in this case. Their full details open in the app.
- Scientific findingPublished 1993
Wrangel Island remains
- Scientific finding26,000–19,000 years ago and after
The end of the Ice Age
- Made at the timec. 15,000 years ago
Mammoth-bone dwellings
- Scientific findingPublished 2017
Island mammoth DNA
How the investigation works
After the briefing and exhibits, you complete three steps. Every answer is explained, and the verdict lists the sources.
- 1
Chronology
Put the events back in order, oldest first. BC and AD are handled correctly, and there is no year zero.
- 2
Cause and consequence
Match each clue to the event that best explains it, and only where the evidence supports the link.
- 3
Supported conclusions
Sort claims into supported, going beyond the evidence, or contradicted. Every answer explains why.
What is still unknown
The balance between climate and human hunting, and what finally ended the Wrangel mammoths, are not settled.
Sources
Case content last checked 2026-10-13. Not reviewed by an independent historian. Found an error? Tell us.
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