The Woolly Mammoth and the Ice Age

August 4, 2004
by WAYNE JACKSON
What do frozen mammoths actually reveal about the ancient earth?

Frozen mammoth discovered in Siberia! So stated newspaper headlines in October of 1999. The body of a woolly mammoth – the entire carcass intact – had been discovered in northern Siberia. The creature subsequently was retrieved from the ice and flown to Khatanga where scientists will do research on the remains. Geneticists will attempt to extract cells from the body and clone a new mammoth, using a female elephant as a surrogate mother.

The woolly mammoth was a huge beast that roamed the earth several thousand years ago. It is well-known from numerous cave paintings. The creature stood some thirteen to fourteen feet high – about the size of a fullgrown African bull elephant.

One of the great mysteries of geologic history is why mammoths became extinct. Various theories have been proposed. Some scientists suggest that these massive animals were the first species to be exterminated by man (Boyd, p. 479). There really is no support for this view. No evidence has been discovered of ancient mammoth traps, nor have there been any traces of arrow or axe blows on the bones from the many discoveries of these creatures.