Last of the Mammoths

Last of the Mammoths

From History Dispatches by Matt and McKinley Breen

May 29, 2026 · 21 min · Season 2 · Episode 165

About this episode

This episode explores the story of the last woolly mammoths that survived long after the Ice Age.

Wooly mammoths are one of the quintessential animals of the Ice Age, and they died out about 10,000 years ago - or so that is what most people think. In reality, not all of them did. In fact a few pockets of mammoths hung on for thousands of years, and didn't die out until after writing was invented and the pyramids were built. This is the story of the last of the mammoths. Sources https://www.science.org/content/article/last-lonely-woolly-mammoths-faced-genomic-meltdown https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00577-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867424005774%3Fshowall%3Dtrue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrangel_Island File:Woolly_mammoth_model_Royal_BC_Museum_in_Victoria.jpg Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Matt Breen, McKinley Breen

Topics covered

  • woolly mammoths
  • Ice Age
  • extinction
  • genomics
  • prehistoric animals

Keywords

  • woolly mammoths
  • extinction
  • genomic meltdown
  • prehistoric
  • Wrangel Island

Sponsors

Factor Meals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Airwave Media

Places: Wrangel Island

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