From the time we are small children, we are taught that dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals have been extinct for thousands of millions of years. This is not an all out honest statement because there is possible evidence that the woolly mammoth has only evolved over the centuries, just as other animals and plants have been able to do. The woolly mammoth and the Asian elephant have numerous characteristics that are similar, explaining how the mammoth has evolved and not become extinct. Scientists throughout time have believed that the woolly mammoth is extinct today because of human influence and impact on the animals. Although, there is also new evidence being discovered daily to help uncover the link between the Asian elephant of today and the prehistoric woolly mammoth.
The argument of if the woolly mammoth is actually extinct, or if the prehistoric mammal lives on today, is the million dollar question. There are many issues and topics that point to the fact that the woolly mammoth could still be roaming the earth today. Some people have said the woolly mammoth has been extinct for thousands and thousands of years now, but nobody can be 100% correct about when or how the mammoth became extinct. A paleontologist from Moscow has said, “Our study has shown that the origin and evolution of the mammoth is not as simple as many have believed,” (3). The statement is very broad in how an individual may interpret the meaning. As an optimistic, to me, the statement continues to reinforce the possibility that the woolly mammoth is still evolving in today's world.
The resemblance between the woolly mammoth and the Asian elephant have been the topic focus on more than one occasion when trying to distinguish differences and compare similarities between the two mammals. One common factor between the two mammals is how their skin is thick and used as a protective barrier. “Most knowledge of these animals is based on the teeth, as these are not only durable, but very characteristic in these particular animals,” (8). The animals share not only similar characteristics of the teeth, but this also reflects the relevance of their diets consisting of the same types of foods and eating habits. Facts have been uncovered, including fossils from the woolly mammoth, showing that the elephant and the prehistoric mammoth both resided in the same geographical area as the other. Some will try to show how this helps to shorten the gap of being able prove the relation the two mammals have. There will continue to be those who believe that the woolly mammoth is extinct, and therefore there is no relationship connecting the woolly mammoth and the Asian elephant together.
As we go through school, we are taught that the woolly mammoth has been extinct since the Pleistocene Era. There are different theories as to what caused the woolly mammoth to become extinct. The most commonly, and well known, factor is from the mammoth being hunted by the humans and from being driven away from the lands for which they lived on. This has been the determining cause for hundreds of years now, without facts that could otherwise prove a different theory. “In 2008 a study conducted by the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Spain determined that warming temperatures had reduced mammoth habitat considerably, putting the woolly mammoth population in sharp decline, before the introduction of humans in their territory,” (5). With this new information, a new theory as to why the woolly mammoth was driven to extinction or evolution is brought into the circle of possibilities. With information changing regularly as research is broadened, there will continue to be the debate of the extinction of the prehistoric woolly mammoth, or if the mammal continues to evolve with the ever changing climate and all of the environmental hazards enveloping the planet.
Throughout history, there have been questions circling the prehistoric woolly mammoth. There will continue to be those who will rely on the information that they were given as children, to believe that the woolly mammoth has been extinct since the end of the ice age. Then, those on the other end of the opinion poll, they believe that the woolly mammoth has never actually been extinct; the mammal has merely evolved through the ages and has adapted in society as today's elephant. No matter which direction your opinion takes you, there is always going to be an endless debate to prove the past. Asian elephant, and other species of elephants, and the woolly mammoth will always continue to have common characteristics, therefore linking the two mammals together in one way or another. The evidence has been shown to place both animals in the same geographical regions around the world. New studies are being conducted to determine critical factors through the evolution process of the mammoth. Maybe one day, we will be able to see a living woolly mammoth, and then there will be sufficient evidence to prove that the prehistoric woolly mammoth is in fact not extinct at all.
References:
“Beasts of Eden: Walking Whales, Dawn Horses, and other Enigmas on Mammal Evolution”. Author: Wallace, David Rains. Publisher: University of California Press. Database: Pioneer Pacific College ebrary. Dewey Decimal Number: 599.138. Accessed on : October 5, 2009. <http://www.site.ebrary.com/lib/pioneer/docDetail.action?docID=10068546>.
“Mystery of the Frozen Mammoth”. National Geographic Kids; May 2008, Issue 390, pg. 26-27, 2p, 3 color. Document type: Article. Accession Number: 40526033. Accessed on: October 5, 2009. <http://www.search.ebsohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=prn&AN=40526033&site=ehost-live>.
Woolly Mammoth Study Shows Complexity of Evolution. National Geographic News. Written By: Hillary Mayell. Published on: November 1, 2001. Accessed on: October 5, 2009. <http://www.news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1101_WoolyMammoth_2.html >.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. “Mobile DNA Elements In Woolly Mammoth Genome Give New Clues to Mammalian Evolution”. Science Daily. Last Revised: June 9, 2004. Accessed on: October 5, 2009. <
“Woolly Mammoth”. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last Revised on: October 3, 2009, at 01:48. Accessed on: October 5, 2009. <http://en.wikipedia,org/w/index.php?title=Woolly_mammoth&oldid=317569520
“Asian Elephant”. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last Revised: September 30, 2009, at 15:49. Accessed on: October 5, 2009. <http://en.wikipedia,org/w/index.php?title=Asian_Elephant&oldid=317105159>.
“Asian Elephant” National Geographic. Animals: Mammals; Asian Elephant. Accessed on: October 5, 2009. <http://animals.nationalgepgraphic.com/animals/mammals/asian-elephant.html>.
“Introduction to Elephant Evolution”. Eco Travel Africa. Accessed on: October 5, 2009. <http://home.intek.com/ecotravel/Guides/Wildlife/Vertebrates/Mammals/Big_5/Elephant_Evolution.htm>.
