Note: This video is part of the NOVA series aired on PBS. A copy may be checked out from me for your viewing.

Introduction: This video deals with the extinction of mammoths at the end of the Pleistocene and presents different hypotheses regarding the cause of their disappearance. Several authorities from different disciplines present their views and supporting evidence.

Answer the following questions in a well written essay on mammoth extinctions.

1. How did the Pleistocene tundra-steppe differ in species composition from the contemporary Arctic tundra?
2. What "typical" adaptations to cold did mammoths possess?
3. What characteristic typical of island mammalian species did the mammoths of Wrangel Island possess?

• Where is Wrangel Island (Ostrov Vrangelya)? Find it on a map. Or check the article cited below for a location map.

1. Reconstruct the distribution history of mammoths either on a map or by creating your own diagram.
2. What are two of the hypotheses regarding the extinction of mammoths that are presented in the video?

• Give the evidence each hypothesis's main proponents present in support of their views.
• Give an argument presented by another researcher that contradicts or at least brings into question the validity of each hypothesis.

1. Which argument is most convincing to you? Why?

A written report of the Russian research on Wrangel Island is available on-line: "Radiocarbon Dating Evidence for Mammoths on Wrangel Island, Arctic Ocean, Until 2000 BC."

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Created by Susan Woodward, October 10, 1997. Last modified October 10, 1997 by slw.