During the Pleistocene Epoch large animals lived that are called Pleistocene megafaunas. Most of these animals were extinct during the last glacial retreat around 10,000 years ago. Here are a few animals that lived during that time period, and some even lived in Indiana!
Dire
Wolf
The Dire wolf is the largest canid to have ever
existed (Canis Dirus P.1). It was about 5 feet long, and it weighted 125 or
more pounds. The Dire wolf is somewhat bigger than the modern day Gray wolf,
but the Dire wolf has larger and more massive teeth. Another difference is the
Dire wolf had much shorter legs than the modern day wolves. The wolf was
extinct around 16,000 years ago because of the extinction of its prey.
Woolly
Mammoth
Woolly Mammoth is a specious of mammoth that has a
common name “Mammothus”. The closest relative to this huge monster is the Asian
Mammoth. The mammoth is the same size as the modern day elephant. The mammoth
could live during the ice age, because its whole body was covered with thick
fur. It lived in the Mammoth Steppe in Eurasia and North America. The animal
was extinct about 4,000 years ago due to climate change, and human hunting. (Woolly
Mammoth P.1)
Wild Horses
The wild horse is not
the modern day wild horse. This ancient animal originated around 1 to 2 million
years ago in North America. The wild horse lived in Asia, Europe, and Africa.
The animal died off around 13,000 years ago, and I believe it was due to the climate
change. (Kirkpatrick P.1)
Bison Antiquus
The Bison Antiquus is sometimes called the “ancient
bison”. It was a large herbivore. It’s the direct ancestor of the American
Bison. The animal is 15 to 25 percent larger than the modern day bison. The
bison was about 7.5 feet tall, 15 feet long, and weighed at 3,500 pounds. The
animal died off around 10,000 years ago. I don’t believe these animals became
extinct; I believe they went to evolution to become the modern day American
Bison. (Bison Antiquus P.1)
The giant beaver was the largest rodent in North
America. It lived in Illinois and Indiana. The rodent was as big as a small
bear. The front teeth were about 6 inches long. As you might think these
beavers might have built huge dams, but believe it or not they had nothing to
do with dams. These creatures lived around 12,000 years ago, and it is said
that the climatic change made the animal go extinct. (Hauser P.1)
The Stag-Moose was a
weird looking animal; it looked like it was a cross between an elk and moose.
The animal was larger than the modern day moose. Their antlers were more
complex than the modern day moose. It was extinct around 11,500 years ago, due
to the climate change and human hunting. Also if you wish to see how this
animal really looked you can visit the Illinois State Museum. (Stag-moose P.1)
Work Cited
"Bison
Antiquus." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 01 Apr.
2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bison_antiquus>.
F, Jay. "The
Surprising History of America's Wild Horses." LiveScience. TechMedia
Network, 24 July 2008. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/9589-surprising-history-america-wild-horses.html>.
Hauser, Alisa.
"Giant Prehistoric Beaver's Discovery in Wicker Park Gets New Look -
Wicker Park - DNAinfo.com Chicago." DNAinfo Chicago. N.p., 10 Dec. 2013.
Web. 01 Apr. 2014. <http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131210/wicker-park/giant-prehistoric-beavers-discovery-wicker-park-gets-new-look>.
"Stag-moose."
Stag-moose. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. <http://exhibits.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/larson/cervalces.html>.
"Woolly
Mammoth." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 Apr.
2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolly_mammoth>.
"World of the Wolf
- Canis Dirus." World of the Wolf - Canis Dirus. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar.
2014. http://www.naturalworlds.org/wolf/history/Canis_dirus.htm.
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