Woolly mammoths were inbred, but this cannot explain why they became extinct, say scientists

The woolly mammoth died out about 4,000 years ago. Image: Getty

Nina Massey

The last surviving woolly mammoths were inbred but not to the extent that it caused their mysterious extinction, a study suggests.

Experts said the findings indicated the animals were not doomed to go extinct for genetic reasons and that if a mysterious event had not wiped them out then they would still exist today.