This Is (By Far) the Oldest Mammoth Ever Discovered in America — And We’re learning a Lot from It! – The Daily Galaxy
2025-04-22T13:30:00Z
A 216,000-year-old mammoth tooth discovered in Canada has rewritten history. This surprising find challenges what we thought we knew about mammoth migrations in North America.
A major breakthrough in paleontology has shifted our understanding of the woolly mammoth’s presence in North America. A 216,000-year-old mammoth tooth, discovered along the Old Crow River in the Yukon Territory, Canada, is now recognized as the oldest woolly mammoth fossil ever found on the continent.
A Startling Discovery in the Yukon
The discovery of this ancient tooth is a game-changer in the study of mammoth history. For years, experts believed that woolly mammoths first arrived in North America between 120,000 and 100,000 years ago. However, this tooth, which dates back to 216,000 years ago, suggests that these majestic creatures were on the continent much earlier than previously thought.
This earlier migration challenges the established theory of mammoths crossing the Bering Strait during the last Ice Age, and instead points to the possibility of woolly mammoths entering North America during a much warmer interglacial period.
According to the study published on April 9 in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, led by Camilo Chacón-Duque, a researcher at the Centre for Palaeogenetics at Stockholm University, this discovery is “unusual” because most mammoth fossils of this age found in North America likely belong to different species.
“To our knowledge, the Old Crow mammoth is the oldest North American mammoth fossil that can be morphologically identified with confidence as a woolly mammoth,” Chacón-Duque explained.
The team discovered the Old Crow mammoth specimen in the Yukon Territory in Canada. (Image credit: Hans Wildschut)
Revolutionizing Fossil Dating with DNA
What makes this discovery particularly extraordinary is the method used to determine the age of the fossil. Scientists turned to a cutting-edge technique known as “molecular clock dating,” which analyzes the genetic mutations in DNA to estimate the age of a sample.
This technique is essential for fossils beyond the typical radiocarbon dating limit of 50,000 years. By extracting DNA from the mammoth tooth, the team was able to pinpoint its age with remarkable accuracy, providing new insights into how we can date ancient specimens more effectively.
This methodology was fine-tuned through months of work, combining molecular clock dating with geological data from the surrounding rock formations. This careful calibration allowed the researchers to achieve a precise age estimate that matched perfectly with geological evidence, marking a significant achievement in paleontological research.
For Chacón-Duque, the process was a “eureka moment,” as the DNA-based dating method coincided with other established evidence.
Unlocking the Genetic Secrets of Ancient Mammoths
In addition to its groundbreaking age, the DNA extracted from the Old Crow mammoth also revealed fascinating details about its genetic makeup. The researchers uncovered “long-lost” genetic diversity, providing new insight into how woolly mammoths adapted to various environmental conditions across hundreds of thousands of years.
The team’s research reveals how mammoths evolved and diversified across the Northern Hemisphere, responding to shifting climates and ecosystems. The DNA of the Old Crow mammoth is classified as “deep-time DNA,” as it represents one of the oldest genetic samples ever analyzed.
While it isn’t the oldest mammoth DNA on record — a specimen from Russia, aged around 1.3 million years, holds that title — the Old Crow specimen provides valuable insights into mammoth lineage and adaptation.
As the researchers continue to analyze mammoth DNA, they are uncovering patterns in genetic diversity that suggest different mammoth populations evolved in response to environmental pressures.
During warmer periods, mammoth populations tended to retreat to isolated regions or “refugia,” only to spread again during colder phases, such as the early stages of glacial periods. This research paints a clearer picture of how mammoths thrived in the harsh conditions of the Ice Age.
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