USShow moreHide expanded menuNewsView all NewsUS newsUS politicsWorld newsClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersWellnessOpinionView all OpinionThe Guardian viewColumnistsLettersOpinion videosCartoonsSportView all SportSoccerNFLTennisMLBMLSNBAWNBANHLF1GolfCultureView all CultureFilmBooksMusicArt & designTV & radioStageClassicalGamesLifestyleView all LifestyleWellnessFashionFoodRecipesLove & sexHome & gardenHealth & fitnessFamilyTravelMoneySearch input google-search SearchSupport usPrint subscriptionsNewslettersDownload the appSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingAbout UsThe Guardian appVideoPodcastsPicturesInside the GuardianGuardian WeeklyCrosswordsWordiplyCorrectionsTipsSearch input google-search SearchSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingAbout UsUSUS politicsWorldClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersWellness The new research suggests climate change rather than hunting by humans led to the extinction of the woolly mammoth. Photograph: Corbis/Royal BC Museum, British ColumbiaThe new research suggests climate change rather than hunting by humans led to the extinction of the woolly mammoth. Photograph: Corbis/Royal BC Museum, British Columbia This article is more than 16 years oldMammoths survived in Britain for thousands of years longer than thoughtThis article is more than 16 years oldThe creatures returned to the British Isles from Siberia towards the end of the last ice age, feeding on rich grasslandAlok Jha, science correspondentWed 17 Jun 2009 18.00 EDTWoolly mammoths were roaming the British Isles for thousands of years longer than previously thought, a new study shows. By analysing mammoth remains found in Condover, Shropshire, scientists concluded that the animals were probably wiped out by rapidly changing climate at the end of the last ice age rather than hunted to extinction by humans."Mammoths are conventionally believed to have become extinct in north-western Europe about 21,000 years ago during the main ice advance, known as the last glacial maximum," said Adrian Lister, of the Natural History Museum, in London, who led the study. "Our new radiocarbon dating of the Condover mammoths changes that by showing that mammoths returned to Britain and survived until around 14,000 years ago."The last ice age occurred between 75,000 and 12,000 years ago. During that time, the Earth's climate changed regularly with relatively colder and warmer periods.A particularly cold period started 21,000 years ago with ice sheets expanding all over Britain. At this stage, the mammoths and many other mammals disappeared from this part of Europe.Lister's research, published in tomorrow's issue of the , suggests that the animals returned to Britain as the region warmed up again."Plant growth had started again and there was rich grassland and that's exactly what the mammoths liked," said Lister. "The mammoths had been hiding out in Siberia in relatively low numbers during the glaciation maximum. They came back into Europe for a few thousand years on this rich grassland until the forests arrived and it got really warm, and that's when they died out completely."Scientists have been arguing for years over the cause of the mammoths' extinction. One idea is that humans hunted them out, another is that climate change made life too difficult for them."We think our research shows that climatic change, particularly working through its effect on the vegetation, was largely responsible for the extinction," said Lister. "It was certainly responsible for squeezing the range of this species right down."Humans might have had a hand in killing off the last remaining populations but without climate change cutting the creatures' numbers in the first place, the species, consisting of millions of individuals, would not have been wiped out just by people.The Condover mammoth remains, of a single adult male and at least four calves, were found in 1986 but the radiocarbon dating used then to work out their age was later proved inaccurate.To date bones, a protein called collagen is first extracted, but this material can often get mixed up with organic matter from the environment where the remains are found. "If the thing's been buried in the ground and it rains and organic dissolved matter from the plants above is filtering down and might get absorbed by the bone, then the date could end up being too late," said Lister.His research took advantage of improved radiocarbon dating and biological sample filtering. Calculations on the age of the mammoth bones were also based on an analysis of how they had decayed, a geological assessment of the surrounding rocks, and fossilised insects found at the site.Explore more on these topicsReuse this contentMost viewedMost viewedUSUS politicsWorldClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersWellnessOriginal reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morningAbout usHelpComplaints & correctionsSecureDropWork for us Privacy policyCookie policyTerms & conditionsContact usAll topicsAll writersDigital newspaper archiveTax strategyFacebookYouTubeInstagramLinkedInNewslettersAdvertise with usGuardian LabsSearch jobsTips© 2025 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr), Main Idea. Scientists created the geologic time scale based on fossil evidence. It divides Earth’s history into blocks of time with each block separated by important events, such as the disappearance of a species of fossil from the rock record., We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us..