On the causes and consequences of the destruction of mammoth faunas

Abstract

The causes and consequences of mammoth extinction and the disappearance of the mammoth fauna in the late Quaternary period and during the Holocene are considered. With the vast distribution ranges of mammoths (almost the whole Holarctic), climatic factors could not be the initial reason for their extinction. The hypothesis of huge ice sheets is getting ever more contradictory and cannot be accepted. Since the mammoth extinction coincided with the time of Homo sapiens expansion around the world (together with the dog, a domesticated wolf), the elimination of the mammoth by hunters is probable. Presumably, the domestication of wolf was the major factor that increased hunting efficiency and safety in prehistoric times, as well as the life span of hunters and their spare time, allowing for improvement of tools, arms, and skills and the development of ancient art and culture. Since mammoths were the main edificators of the pasture ecosystems in the Holarctic, their extinction, together with other large phytophages, entailed the destruction of pasture ecosystems over vast areas and the formation of the current “natural” zones by the end of the Holocene. With the domestication of wolf, the anthropogenic factor becomes decisive for the further fate of pasture ecosystems, while climatic fluctuations during ocean regressions and transgressions either inhibited or enhanced its impact. The destruction of the initial structure of pasture ecosystems over most of the mammoth distribution range and its alteration could not be climatically neutral.