Scientists believe that one of the last known groups of woolly mammoths died out due to lack of drinking water. These Ice Age beasts were living on a remote island off the coast of Alaska, and scientists have dated their demise to about 5,600 years ago.
Most of the world's woolly mammoths have died out by about 10,500 years ago. But the group living on St. Paul Island, which is located in the Bering Sea, managed to hold on for another 5,000 years.
They believe that a warming climate caused lakes to become shallower, leaving animals unable to quench their thirst. As the Earth warmed up after the Ice Age, sea levels rose, causing the mammoths' island home to shrink in size. This means that some lakes were lost to the ocean, and that salt water flowed into the remaining reservoirs, diminishing freshwater further.
According to lead author Prof. Russell Graham of Pennsylvania State University, as the other lakes dried up, the animals congregated around the water holes.
Since the mammoths were milling around, they also destroy the vegetation and allows sediments to go into the lake. The erosion also created less and less fresh water. "The mammoths were contributing to their own demise," said Graham.
At that time, raining was also scarce and the animals may have died very quickly.
The researchers say climate change happening today could have a similar impact on small islands, with a threat of freshwater putting both animals and humans at risk.
Source: BBC
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