The Pleistocene epoch spanned from 1.8 million years ago to 10,000 years ago [1]. Many genera and even species such as conifers, mosses, flowering plants, insects, mollusks, birds, and mammals from that era still survive today [1]. Others, such as the long-horned bison, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, and the mammoth did not survive [1].
The woolly mammoth was commonly found during the last ice age [2]. These animals were similar in size to today’s elephants but were adapted for living in the extremely cold conditions typical of an ice age [2]. Mammoths had narrower skulls, shorter tails, and smaller ears than elephants do, and they were protected by a full coat of coarse hair that secreted oils and insulated them from the cold [2]. The mammoths also had tusks that they used to clear away snow in their search for food [2].
Mammoths went extinct approximately 4,000 years ago after their numbers began to diminish about 10,000 years ago [2]. Mammoth fossils have been uncovered on every continent except for South America and Australia [2]. It is not entirely clear what led to the extinction of the mammoth [2]. Some of the current theories for their extinction include climate change, meteorites or comets, and predation by humans [2].
The most recognized reason for the mammoth’s disappearance is that as the Earth warmed, the climate became too much for the mammoths to handle since they had evolved in a cold environment [2]. It is also possible that the global climate change led to the extinction of some of the mammoth’s vital mineral-supplying plants which in turn led to the extinction of the mammoth [2].
Researchers have also found some evidence of an asteroid hitting the Earth which may have resulted in a massive climate ch...
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...ts and more species will begin to go extinct [13].
Other researchers believe that bringing back the mammoth and other extinct species will increase conservation efforts [4]. They argue that by creating more species that are in need of a home, people will be driven to preserve land where they can survive [4]. In fact, a nature preserve covering a sixty-square-mile area has already been established in Siberia in the hopes that it will one day soon be inhabited by mammoths [4].
While society may not currently be ready for the revival of creatures that went extinct thousands of years ago, technology certainly has that goal in its sights. Since cloning and genome sequencing techniques are still in need of refinement, it will give naysayers time to come to terms with researchers aspirations. After all, it seems that sooner or later, mammoths will walk the Earth again.
Humans have driven many animals extinct, but should we bring them back is the question. Geneticists, biologists, conservationists and ethicists gathered to discuss the controversies. Some people say in doing this we are playing God, while others say we did by killing them. Other scientist say that it may be beneficial because it will add biodiversity, and medicinal properties back to the ecosystem. It is only possible to bring species back from around 10 thousand years ago. Recently scientists have vastly improved the cloning process. We can now coax adult animal cells into any type of cell, including eggs and sperm, then manipulating them into full-fledged embryos, which has led to the ideas and developments of reviving many other species including mammoths, frogs and
The question of what caused the extinction of megafauna during the Late Pleistocene period is one that archaeologists have struggled to answer for decades, but why should it matter? Discovering with certainty the cause of megafaunal extinction would simultaneously prove or disprove any of the proposed implications of each existing theory regarding this massive extinction.
“...99.9 per cent of all [species] that have ever existed are now extinct.” (Benton 1) After one hundred and sixty million years of domination, the reign of the dinosaurs ended in fire and ice. Sixty five million years ago, the largest volcanoes in the history of the Earth erupted across what is now India, effectively annihilating the dinosaurs by spewing out noxious gas and ash, that effectively blocked out the sun killing off most vegetation and breaking the food chain, leaving the dinosaurs to starve. Compared to other groups of animals the dinosaurs were the most vulnerable to such a climatic event and the result was the end of the dinosaurs’ glorious evolutionary history.
Wong first discusses the possibility that harsh climate killed the last Neandertals. Analysis of isotopes in ocean sediments, ice, and in pollen from the time of the Neandertals reveals that during a period known as oxygen isotope stage 3 (OIS-3), which occurred about 65,000 to 25,000 years ago, there was a climate shift, from moderate to glacial. However, this was probably not what killed the Neandertals, due to the fact that Neandertal anatomy was even better suited for colder climates, with their shorter limbs, barrel chest, and short stature better at conserving body heat (lecture). It is more likely that the severe and rapid environmental shift resulted in the demise of the Neandertals, which could have resulted in a change from forests to grasslands and a change in plants and animals in a short period of time, even over the lifetime of one individual, and just as quickly it could have changed back. The Neandertals, therefore, would have had to adjust to the new environment quickly in order to survive.
The Pleistocene epoch was a time period of almost 2 million years of repeating glaciation around the globe. This epoch was known for its megafauna that roamed the Earth during the last great ice age. Although this was a time of mass extinction for species that could not adapt to the climate changes, many mammals and vertebrates that can be identified today were found during this time (Zimmermann, 2013). The Pleistocene epoch is an important foundation for understanding life that exists today, including carnivores, herbivores as well as the evolution of humans.
...he demise of Neanderthals, their influx put immense demand on already constrained resources, there was little available food during the ice age because only those species best adapted to the harsh environment could survive. Homo Sapiens however, had a different way of thinking and created different tools making them better equipped for hunting, this meant that Homo Sapiens obtained food more easily, which was necessary for survival, this led to Neanderthals being outcompeted and their numbers began to diminish.
The Smilodon, the most recent type of saber tooth cats, went extinct about 10,000 years ago, around the time when Pangea began separating and breaking up. Sabertooth Cats did not go extinct due to lack of prey. However, around 12,000 years ago (end of the late Pleistocene) sabertooth cats, american lions, wooly mammoths and other gigantic creatures considered the “megafauna” went extinct. A die-off called the Quaternary extinction. A popular theory for the extinction is that the changing in climate during the end of the last ice age, human activity, or a combination of both killed off most large
Bison have been around for 10,000 years. Their ancestors where known as giant bison and they were hunted by the paleoindians that came over on the Bering Strait. The giant bison however became extinct because the paleoindians hunted them and at the end of the last ice age, most of the vegetation they fed off of was destroyed. Dwarf bison, the bison that are around today, survived the ice age because the dwarf bison were faster, reproduced more rapidly and required less vegetation to sustain them. The destruction of giant bison resembles what happened to the bison in modern day America; accept they had to survive droughts instead of extreme cold.
extinct for 4000 years, it is difficult to tell exactly what they lived on, but
Thousands of years ago, hunting may have been the cause of the extinction of the North American large land mammals. “Moving up into the 1940’s and 50’s some of today’s most prominent game animals were almost non-existent.”(Kerry G) Over-hunting will directly cause the decline in the particular animal’s species. This will effect everything around it, for example ...
Modern-day genetic technology has granted mankind with the opportunity to bring back extinct species from the dead. If humans have come to possess the DNA from an extinct animal population, it is possible to create an identical clone of the animal in question, effectively “bringing it back from the dead”. Many ethical dilemmas surround the practice of de-extinction, and rightfully so. Recreating an extinct species could produce groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs, generating exciting opportunities for future genetics-based research. However, there could also be monumental consequences: the newly revived, once-extinct species might destroy the ecological equilibrium of modern Earth
There has been a debate about what happened to the dinosaurs since they were discovered. There are many thoughts of what happened to the dinosaurs, the two main theories behind the extinction are scientific and religious. Proof for both theories do exist and debates between scientists are still going on to which one really happened. It is a mystery as much for Evolutionists as it is for Creationists about the extinction of the dinosaurs. The fossil record of dinosaurs was poorly know for a long period of time. During this time period was when the dinosaurs were thought to have gone extinct. The scientific reason for their extinction was that there was a giant asteroid that caused chain reaction and wiped out the dinosaurs. Some scientists say the dinosaur’s extinction came quickly. Evolutionists say the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. Creationists say that the dinosaurs weren’t able to survive the Earth after the flood. Both of the theories have supporting evidence and that is why there is an ongoing debate over what really happened to the dinosaurs. (WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. et al., 2001)
slow extinction, or did it happen all of the sudden? These questions bring rise to many
Several mass extinctions have occurred during the Earth’s history. The Cretaceous – Tertiary Boundary (K-T) Extinction caused the loss of at least three-quarters of all species known at that time including the dinosaurs. The cause of this mass extinction is a controversial subject among scientists but the fossil evidence of it’s occurrence is abundant.
Because the CO2 levels are rising, the ice caps are melting and many more animals can become extinct. When pangea started splitting, there was a lot of volcanic activity, which cause the death of many dinosaurs. A meteor also hit earth and the mass extinction of many land and marine animals happened. There have been five mass extinctions in Earth’s history. The worst one wiped out ninety-six percent of marine life and seventy percent of land organisms. This took millions of years to recover.