Woolly mammoths weren't always the furry ones that are depicted in books and movies. Now scientists understand
Researchers from Sweden compared genomes23 Siberian woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) with the genomes of 28 modern Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta). They discovered that over the course of more than 700,000 years of existence of the huge extinct animals, their genome changed. The results of the study were published in the journal Current Biology.
"We wanted to know what makes a mammothwoolly mammoth. It turned out that woolly individuals have some very characteristic morphological features, such as their thick fur and small ears. They also have special fat metabolism and perception of cold,” explains David Diez del Molino, a paleontologist at the Center for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm and lead author of the study.
During genetic analysis, scientistsfound that defining traits of the species, such as fluffy fur, fat deposits and the ability to withstand cold, were present when the woolly mammoth split from the steppe mammoth (Mammuthus trogontherii), one of its ancestors. Researchers also found that woolly mammoths evolved to have drier earwax and less body odor.
"We discovered some highly developedgenes associated with metabolism and fat storage, which are also found in other Arctic species, such as reindeer and polar bears. It appears that there is convergent evolution of these genes in cold-adapted mammals,” the scientists conclude.
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Cover photo: World History Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution
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