Woolly Mammoth Hair

This hair sample is from a woolly mammoth dating to about 20,000 years ago.

Mammoths lived during the last 5 million years and were closely related to today’s Asian and African Elephants. Some species coexisted with humans and lived until about 3,000 years ago. For context, the largest Egyptian pyramids were built about 4,500 years ago.

The woolly mammoth was the last species in the lineage of the Mammuthus genus. They lived during the last ice age and were well adapted to the cold climate with their thick fur coat.

Woolly mammoths were herbivores and primarily ate sedges. They likely died out when the climate warmed, causing a change in their food supply.

This sample was recovered from the Siberian permafrost—a region where the ground is frozen year-round.