French Park Unveils New Mammoth Skeleton; Study Shows Ice‑Age Hunters Favored Females

The Parc de la Préhistoire in Tarascon‑sur‑Ariège, France, has added two new attractions: a rare female mammoth skeleton from Siberia, named Olga, and a life‑size woolly rhinoceros reconstruction created by the workshop Ophys. The exhibit is open daily to visitors.

A genetic analysis of 521 woolly mammoth remains from across Eurasia and North America, published in Current Biology, found that prehistoric hunters disproportionately targeted female mammoths. Researchers from the Centre de paléogénétique de Stockholm, led by Hannah Moots, suggest the bias arose because herds were led by females following predictable seasonal routes, making them easier to locate.

"Our ancestors primarily targeted female mammoths," the study notes, highlighting the importance of these animals for meat, fat, hides and ivory.