Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

We actually have a number of species of mammoths. The woolly mammoths are occupants, denizens of the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. But as you get further south, there's other mammoth species, and in fact, other proboscidean species, that is to say, other elephants. These are all distant animal relatives of African elephants and Asian elephants, which, of course, are still surviving today.

And these are animals that, oh, golly, some of the largest ones would be 14, 16 feet at the shoulder. They'd weigh six, eight tons. Wow. And they're found, well, pretty much across Europe, Eurasia. the far north of the Americas, but even into temperate regions as well, not just Arctic regions. And they've been around for a very long time.

And these are animals that, oh, golly, some of the largest ones would be 14, 16 feet at the shoulder. They'd weigh six, eight tons. Wow. And they're found, well, pretty much across Europe, Eurasia. the far north of the Americas, but even into temperate regions as well, not just Arctic regions. And they've been around for a very long time.

And these are animals that, oh, golly, some of the largest ones would be 14, 16 feet at the shoulder. They'd weigh six, eight tons. Wow. And they're found, well, pretty much across Europe, Eurasia. the far north of the Americas, but even into temperate regions as well, not just Arctic regions. And they've been around for a very long time.

Certainly, mammoths were in Eurasia well before humans got up into that region, far northeastern Eurasia. They were in the Americas before humans got here. So they lay claim to these landscapes more so than we have a claim to these landscapes. And humans interacted with them over time. Now, of course, there's been lots of discussion about what the nature of that relationship was.

Certainly, mammoths were in Eurasia well before humans got up into that region, far northeastern Eurasia. They were in the Americas before humans got here. So they lay claim to these landscapes more so than we have a claim to these landscapes. And humans interacted with them over time. Now, of course, there's been lots of discussion about what the nature of that relationship was.

Certainly, mammoths were in Eurasia well before humans got up into that region, far northeastern Eurasia. They were in the Americas before humans got here. So they lay claim to these landscapes more so than we have a claim to these landscapes. And humans interacted with them over time. Now, of course, there's been lots of discussion about what the nature of that relationship was.

Was it strictly platonic? Did humans admire them from a distance or did humans want them for dinner? We certainly know that they did from time to time. But a lot of the question sort of revolves around the intensity of use of these animals.

Was it strictly platonic? Did humans admire them from a distance or did humans want them for dinner? We certainly know that they did from time to time. But a lot of the question sort of revolves around the intensity of use of these animals.

Was it strictly platonic? Did humans admire them from a distance or did humans want them for dinner? We certainly know that they did from time to time. But a lot of the question sort of revolves around the intensity of use of these animals.

the risk involved in going after these animals, their role in the diet, but it's also important to come back to something you mentioned earlier, their impact on the landscape. These are animals that are what are known as keystone species. And what we mean by that is that these are animals that have a really profound effect on the ecosystem around there.

the risk involved in going after these animals, their role in the diet, but it's also important to come back to something you mentioned earlier, their impact on the landscape. These are animals that are what are known as keystone species. And what we mean by that is that these are animals that have a really profound effect on the ecosystem around there.

the risk involved in going after these animals, their role in the diet, but it's also important to come back to something you mentioned earlier, their impact on the landscape. These are animals that are what are known as keystone species. And what we mean by that is that these are animals that have a really profound effect on the ecosystem around there.

They sneeze and everybody else gets a cold, as it were, because these are animals that play a role in species interactions, ecosystem connectivity, changing patterns of nitrogen cycling, dispersal of plant remains, disrupting or creating succession sequences, you pull them out of a landscape and things go to hell because their influence is so profound.

They sneeze and everybody else gets a cold, as it were, because these are animals that play a role in species interactions, ecosystem connectivity, changing patterns of nitrogen cycling, dispersal of plant remains, disrupting or creating succession sequences, you pull them out of a landscape and things go to hell because their influence is so profound.

They sneeze and everybody else gets a cold, as it were, because these are animals that play a role in species interactions, ecosystem connectivity, changing patterns of nitrogen cycling, dispersal of plant remains, disrupting or creating succession sequences, you pull them out of a landscape and things go to hell because their influence is so profound.

So these are important animals, not just from sort of a human history, but also in terms of ecological history and environmental history.

So these are important animals, not just from sort of a human history, but also in terms of ecological history and environmental history.

So these are important animals, not just from sort of a human history, but also in terms of ecological history and environmental history.

I will quickly clarify what I mean by that, because I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea. These are animals that are constantly shedding DNA, whether through poo or urinating on the landscape. And that becomes a really interesting source of information about where these animals were, when these animals were, and when they went extinct.