 Up until about 11,000 years ago, four of the Channel Islands made up one large island, dubbed Santarosea, that was closer to the mainland that what is seen today. As sea levels rose, all but the highest elevations of Santarosea were submerged, leaving the four separate islands of San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Anacapa (Muhs et al., 2015). Initially discovered on the island of Santa Rosa, the pygmy mammoth is considered to have been endemic to the Channel Islands and remains have been found on all but one of the islands. Many of these remains can be seen at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. While the debate on the extinction of megafauna has not reached a conclusion. studies have indicated that the survivability of the Santrosea pygmy mammoths was compromised and therefore the species was suspectible to extinction. Research has shown that changes in climate and rising sea levels that shrunk the land area, resulting in reduced access to fresh water sources and altered vegetation that the pygmy mammoths relied upon (Semprebon et al., 2016). But how about humans whose presence overlapped by at least 250 years with the pygmy mammoths (Agenbroad et al., 2005)? We still do not know. As of today, no evidence has been found to directly show that humans hunted pygmy mammoths (Rick et al., 2012). Does that mean it didn't happen? Of course not and we may never know, especially since much of the coastal area has been reclaimed by the Pacific Ocean.
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