Mammoths Meted Beyond Species Boundaries

A new study suggested that different species of mammoths meted in North America. A new research study on the DNA structure of the mammoth genome suggests that they meted beyond their species boundaries. Several species of mammoth are thought to have roamed across the North American physical appearance to deal with different environments, it did not prohibit them from cross-breeding and producing healthy offspring.

A species can be defined as a group of similar animals that can successfully breed and produce fertile offspring. By using differences in the size and shape of their fossilized teeth, a number of North American mammoth species have been identified. But some scientists are not confident this method of species categorization tells the whole story.

North American mammoths such as the Colombian mammoth and the Wooly Mammoths were historically thought to originate from two separate primitive species. However, the latest DNA analysis agrees with a more recent idea that all North American mammoths originated from a single primitive species, the Steppe Mammoth. So, while mammoths clearly method of differences in their physical appearance to deal with different environments, it did not prohibit them from cross-breeding and producing healthy offspring. 

Despite this apparent adaptability, which should surely be a recipe for success, mammoths disappeared from the face of Earth 10,000 years ago. 

As well as challenging the classic method of defining a species, scientists believe the findings of this study are just the start of understanding mammoth evolutionary history. Techniques to extract and analyses ancient DNA have undergone a tremendous improvement in recent years and as these technologies continue to improve we can expect further breakthroughs.