Prehistoric people in Eurasia, North America specifically hunted female mammoths, new study shows

A new study using ancient DNA from 521 mammoths across Eurasia and North America reveals that prehistoric people at 11 accumulation sites in Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Russia mainly hunted female mammoths. About 70% of the bones from these sites were female, compared to 34% in natural settings. Researchers suggest female-led herds were more predictable, making them easier to locate and kill.

A new study published in Current Biology reveals that prehistoric people in Eurasia and North America selectively hunted female mammoths. Using ancient DNA from 521 mammoths spanning approximately the past 50,000 years, researchers analyzed bones from 11 accumulation sites in Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, and Siberia, alongside 421 mammoths from natural settings. At the accumulation sites, about 70% of the mammoths were female, compared to 34% in natural settings. The study's lead author, Hannah Moots, a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Palaeogenetics, suggests that female-led herds, like modern elephants, may have moved in more predictable, seasonal patterns, making them easier for Ice Age people to locate. Co-senior author Love Dalén noted that female mammoths were smaller and possibly easier to kill, with adult males weighing up to 6 tons and standing 11 feet tall, versus 4 tons and 9.5 feet for females. The largest site, Kraków Spadzista in southern Poland, dating to 25,000-30,000 years ago, contained remains of over 100 mammoths. The researchers also identified a Wrangel Island mammoth with X0/XX mosaicism, a genetic condition similar to Turner syndrome in humans. The study provides insight into prehistoric hunting tactics and the role of humans in mammoth extinction.