An international team of researchers has found that Ice Age humans predominantly hunted female woolly mammoths, according to the largest ancient DNA study of the species to date.
Analysis of DNA from 521 mammoths showed that about 70% of remains found at butchering sites were female, compared with 34% at natural sites.
According to the researchers, female mammoths lived in herds that followed predictable migration routes, making them easier for Upper Paleolithic hunters to locate than solitary males.
The study examined remains from 11 archaeological sites dating between 30,000 and 20,000 years ago.
Researchers also identified the first known case of X0/XX mosaicism, a genetic condition similar to Turner syndrome, in an extinct species.
They said advances in ancient DNA technology made both discoveries possible while offering new insights into mammoth biology and Ice Age hunting practices.
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Genetic tests of mammoth remains have found a stark contrast in the sex ratio between sites where the animals died naturally and those associated with humans, offering hints about how our ancestors hunted https://t.co/PiFGMYLRlx
— New Scientist (@newscientist) August 3, 2026
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