The last woolly mammoths on Earth died out on one Arctic island
Most woolly mammoths vanished around 10,000 years ago as the Ice Age ended, but rising seas cut off a small population on Siberia's Wrangel Island. Descended from as few as eight founders, that population stayed stable for over 200 generations before disappearing abruptly about 4,000 years ago — meaning mammoths were still alive after the Great Pyramid was built. A 2024 genome study found no sign of the genetic decline scientists expected before an extinction.