Mammoth news, features and articles
Closely related to modern day elephants, the last woolly mammoths went extinct around 4,000 years ago after being wiped out by multiple killers, including climate change and hunting. Still, some people want to see a mammoth resurrection through cloning — even the CIA wants to bring woolly mammoths back.
Live Science has an expert team of writers and editors to keep you updated on the biggest mammoth findings with the latest news, features and articles about mammutidae.
Discover more about mammoths
—Woolly mammoths: Facts about these extinct, shaggy beasts that once roamed the Arctic
—Woolly mammoths weren't always shaggy. Here's when they evolved some of their trademark features.
Latest about Mammoths
Mammoth quiz: Test your knowledge of the ice age beasts
By Sascha Pare published
Most of us are familiar with the mammoths in "Ice Age," but how much do you really know about these creatures? Find out by taking our quiz.
Pollen allergies drove woolly mammoths to extinction, study claims
By Sascha Pare published
A boom in vegetation at the end of the last ice age may have created so much pollen, it blocked mammoths' sense of smell. A new study suggests this drove the beasts to extinction, but not everyone agrees.
Ancient chromosomes from woolly mammoth discovered in 52,000-year-old freeze-dried skin
By Sascha Pare published
In a breakthrough that could boost de-extinction efforts, scientists have determined the 3D structure of a woolly mammoth's genome from a 52,000-year-old piece of freeze-dried skin.
Mystery 'random event' killed off Earth's last woolly mammoths in Siberia, study claims
By Ben Turner published
Woolly mammoths survived on Wrangel Island for 6,000 years after their mainland cousins had perished. A new genomic study has revealed that this final population likely died from a sudden, mysterious event.
Woolly mammoth de-extinction inches closer after elephant stem cell breakthrough
By Sascha Pare published
Scientists at the company Colossal Biosciences have derived induced pluripotent stem cells from elephants, which they say could boost efforts to resurrect woolly mammoths.
'That's a huge amount of movement for a single mammoth': Woolly female's steps retraced based on chemistry of 14,000-year-old tusk
By Sascha Pare published
New analysis of a 14,000-year-old woolly mammoth tusk has pieced together the life of a female mammoth that likely died at the hands of hunters close to Alaska's oldest archaeological site.
Huge, complete mammoth tusk accidentally discovered by North Dakota coal miners
By Lydia Smith published
A tusk scooped up my miners in North Dakota turned out to be one of the most complete skeletons of a mammoth ever discovered in the state.
Woolly mammoths were seasonal sex fiends just like elephants, study finds
By Ben Turner published
An analysis of ancient mammoth tusks has revealed that they underwent musth just like modern elephants do.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.