science π Ice Age Hunters Targeted Female Mammoths, Study Reveals
New research indicates that ancient humans showed a preference for hunting female mammoths, challenging previous assumptions about hunting patterns. This study analyzed DNA from 521 woolly mammoths spanning Eurasia and North America, dating back about 50,000 years. Among 100 mammoths from 11 sites in Europe, approximately 70% were female, contrasting with natural settings where males predominated. Scientists suggest this bias might stem from female-led social groups being easier to track, and females being lighter than the 6-tonne males. This reveals that Ice Age hunters made strategic choices, not random kills. π