Climate Change: The end of the last glacial period around 10,000 to 15,000 years ago led to a significant shift in climate conditions. As the earth warmed and glaciers retreated, the mammoths' preferred cold, tundra habitat began to shrink. The changing environment made it increasingly difficult for the mammoths to find enough food, and they may have also been more susceptible to disease in the warmer climate.
Hunting by Humans: Human hunting is another widely accepted factor that contributed to the decline of woolly mammoths. As human populations expanded and migrated into new territories, they encountered mammoths and began hunting them for food, clothing, and other resources. The increase in human hunting pressure coincided with the mammoths' changing environment, making it even harder for them to survive.
Competition from Other Species: As the climate warmed, other species such as bison, moose, and deer moved into the mammoths' former habitats. These species competed with mammoths for food and resources, further reducing the mammoths' chances of survival.
Disease: The changing environment and increased stress caused by hunting and competition may have made mammoths more vulnerable to disease. Outbreaks of diseases such as anthrax or tuberculosis could have spread through the mammoth population and contributed to their decline.
Loss of Genetic Diversity: Woolly mammoths had relatively low genetic diversity, which limited their ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions and made them more susceptible to the other factors that contributed to their extinction.
It's important to note that the extinction of woolly mammoths was likely a complex process influenced by multiple factors acting together, rather than a single event or cause.