Mammoths return: Bringing back Ice Age giants.

Introduction

Forget Jurassic Park—now there’s a real place where you can see prehistoric animals brought back to life! Woolly mammoths, those huge, furry creatures from the Ice Age, are walking the Earth again thanks to amazing scientists and their cool technology. After thousands of years, these incredible animals now roam the Scottish Highlands, and people get to see them just like in the movies.

For the very first time, scientists have brought woolly mammoths back to life and placed them in the Scottish Highlands! This amazing project started in 2024 and could help our environment and climate. The new animals, called “mammophants,” are part elephant and part woolly mammoth. Scientists used special gene-editing technology to make them, and now these furry giants are walking around wild once again.

Why Woolly Mammoths?

Woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) were super-strong builders that shaped the world around them! By stomping on bushes, eating lots of grass, and packing down the snow with their feet, they helped create a huge, cold, grassy home for many other animals.

The Science Behind Bringing Back Mammoths

Using a clever science, scientists are able to create a new animal that's part-elephant, part-mammoth! They can change an elephant’s instructions (called DNA) to give it a thick, woolly coat, special fat to stay warm, and smaller ears to protect it from the cold. This amazing new creature has a cool nickname: the mammophant! The first baby mammophant was born in 2020. A small herds of these animals was released into a 'secret' location in the Scottish Highlands in 2024.

So, why was Scotland picked as a home for mammophants?

Scotland is the perfect place for mammophants because:

• It has a chilly climate: The weather is cold and chilly, just like it was during the Ice Age.
• It has special boggy ground: There are lots of 'peatlands', which are brilliant at trapping harmful gases, called carbon. The mammophants munching on grass helps keep this ground healthy.
• It's great at 'rewilding': Scotland is already very good at bringing back amazing wild animals that used to live there, like beavers and pine martens. martens.

What jobs are the mammophants doing?

The mammophants are already helping the planet by:

• Keeping the fields grassy by stomping on bushes to stop them from taking over.
• Pushing down the snow in winter, which helps keep the ground underneath frozen solid.
• Helping other wildlife, as their hard work allows lots of different plants and animals to live there.

How Mammophants Help Nature

Scientists have already noticed some great changes thanks to the mammophants:

• There is now more grass growing, which is good for animals and insects.
• The soil isn’t washing away as much, and it holds water better.
• Lots of different birds and bugs are turning up where the mammophants like to graze.

Project Timeline: From Ice Age to Rewilding

Moving the young mammophants to their new secret home was a very big job! The animals travelled in special crates, each weighing as much as ten cars! To keep the mammophants comfy on their four-hour road trip, their crates had air conditioning to stay cool. There were also special cameras inside, so the drivers could check on them and see they were okay. Three massive lorries, driven by animal experts, travelled one behind the other in a special convoy. They even had a police escort to make sure the mammophants arrived safely at their new home in the Scottish Highlands.

What People Think

Lots of people are excited about the mammophants coming to Scotland, but some people are not sure if it’s a good idea. Out of 100 people surveyed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust:

• Most people (61) said they liked the idea of bringing back mammoths.
• Some people (24) weren’t sure. They worried about things like whether it was safe or good for nature.
• A smaller group (15) didn’t like the idea. They were worried about how much it would cost and if it would be safe.

Meanwhile, animal welfare groups have raised concerns about the mammophants’ well-being and long-term adaptation. The project team continues to monitor health, behaviour, and social bonding closely.

What People in the Highlands Are Saying

People living nearby have different thoughts, but most are happy about the mammophants. Here’s what some of them said:

I’ve photographed wild elephants in Africa and lions in the Serengeti, but seeing these giants emerge through the mist was something else entirely!

But, not everyone was happy:

Challenges and Lessons

Bringing back mammoths isn’t simple. There are some big questions:

• Is it okay to bring back animals that don’t live on Earth anymore?
• Will the mammophants be happy and healthy in their new home?
• Could the mammophants cause problems for other animals living here?

Looking Ahead

Scientists plan to add more mammophants and start another group in the Cairngorms. What they learn here might help scientists in other countries bring back lost or rare animals. If it works, mammophants could even live in cold places like the Arctic tundra one day.

How Woolly Mammoths Could Be Climate Superheroes!

Did you know that bringing back animals like the woolly mammoth could actually help stop our planet from getting too hot? By stomping on bushes and knocking over small trees, mammoths would clear the way for huge, grassy fields to grow. This light-coloured grass works like a giant mirror, bouncing the sun's heat back into space. This helps keep the ground, and our planet, much cooler.

In winter, snow acts like a cosy blanket over the ground, trapping warmth in and stopping the deep winter chill from getting through. But when a mammoth stomps on it, this cosy blanket of snow gets squashed! This lets the cold air in and helps freeze the ground solid.

Why Does a Frozen Ground Matter?

The frozen ground in the Arctic is called permafrost. It's special because it has a huge amount of carbon locked inside it from plants that died thousands of years ago. If the permafrost melts, this carbon escapes into the air and becomes greenhouse gases.

These greenhouse gases are a problem because they trap the sun's heat, like the glass in a greenhouse, which makes the whole world warmer.

So, by keeping the ground frozen, the mammoths would act like guards, keeping all that carbon safely locked away where it can't warm up our planet. They could be big, stompy superheroes for the Earth! (1)

Conclusion

Bringing mammoths back to Scotland is more than just clever science – it gives us hope for the future of our planet.

By mixing the science of ancient animals with new ideas to protect nature, the Scottish Highlands have become like a giant outdoor classroom. Here, we can learn the best ways to help fix the wild.

Maybe the whole world will copy this brave idea, or maybe it will just be Scotland's own special story. But one thing is certain: the mammoths are back, and they are already busy changing the land with every single stomp.

References:

1. Can Bringing Back Mammoths Help Stop Climate Change? | Smithsonian Magazine

Image Gallery

Videos

Webcam footage

Your Mammophant Questions Answered!

Q1: What are “mammophants”?

A1: They are a new type of animal that's part Asian elephant and part woolly mammoth. Scientists gave them mammoth features, like a warm, woolly coat and special fat to keep them cosy in the cold.

Q2: Why were they brought to Scotland?

A2: They were brought back to be helpers for nature! Their jobs are to stomp on bushes, eat grass, and squash down snow, which helps keep the grassy fields healthy and the ground frozen.

Q3: Where in Scotland are they?

A3: Their home is a top secret! This is to keep them safe and make sure they are not disturbed by people, so they can get used to living in the wild.

Q4: Are they helping the environment yet?

A4: Yes, they are already making a big difference! More healthy grass is growing, the ground is better at soaking up rainwater, and more types of little plants and animals have started to live there.

Q5: How were the mammophants made?

A5: Scientists used a special tool to edit an elephant's instructions (called DNA) and add in some mammoth instructions. The first healthy baby was born in a lab in 2022, and the herd spent time getting used to the cold weather before being set free.

Q6: Why is Scotland a good home for them?

A6: Scotland is the perfect home for them because of its chilly climate and lots of special boggy ground that they can help look after. Scotland is already great at bringing back other wild animals!

Q7: Is everyone happy about this?

A7: Most people are, but some have asked important questions, like: "Is it right to bring back an animal that died out?" and "Will they cause problems for the other animals that already live in Scotland?"

Q8: What do most people think?

A8: Most people think it's a great idea! Some people aren't sure what to think yet, and a few people are against it. The people who live nearby are very interested and excited to see what happens.

Q9: Can they really help stop climate change?

A9: Yes! By squashing snow and helping the grasslands grow, they keep the ground frozen. This stops a gas called carbon from escaping, which helps to stop our world from getting too warm.

Q10: What will happen next?

A10: The plan is to help the herd grow bigger and maybe find a second home for them in another part of Scotland. Scientists hope that what they learn from the mammophants could one day help bring back other lost animals.