The extinction of mammoths is warning humanity

Climate change is the main cause of extinction of mammoths, according to a recent study by scientists at Durham University (USA).

Mammoths have become extinct due to climate change.Photo: Telegraph

Mammoths appeared on Earth about 4.5 million years ago and became extinct about 13,000 years ago.So far, many hypotheses have been proposed to explain why mammoths are extinct.Some previous studies suggest that human hunting or even a meteorite may have fallen to Earth as a cause for the giant mammoths to face extinction at the end of the Ice Age. Ha was 20,000 years ago.

However, the latest study by scientists from Durham University (USA) shows that the continuous development of forests due to warmer climate during this period has made grasslands confiscated. narrow, making mammoths lack food.

Professor Brian Huntley, of Durham University and a member of the research team, thinks that a large part of the grasslands in Europe and North America have developed into forests due to the warming of the late Ice period. Ha.At the same time, humans began to think of more effective hunting skills, causing the number of mammoths to decline.

'The vast grasslands in northern Europe and Asia are as well as in Alaska and Yukon gradually turning into forests that have led to the habitat of many species, especially large mammoth species like mammoths. and fine-haired rhinos are changed. Animals have difficulty finding food when the grasslands are narrowed, 'said Dr. Brian Huntley.

From the results of this study, scientists also warned that climate change leading to a changed living environment could threaten the survival of existing animals on Earth, similar to the happened to the mammoths in the Ice Age.

'Climate change scenarios that affect mammoths and many other giant animals 20,000 years ago may repeat in the next century if climate change is still happening at the same rate as The current. Therefore, this study is a good lesson for us to ponder the consequences of global warming , 'warned Professor Brian Huntley.