Pleistocene Mammals

Pleistocene Mammal Extinctions
The late Pleistocene witnessed the extinction of 35 genera of large
North American mammals. The last appearance dates of 16 of these
genera securely fall between 12,000 and 10,000 radiocarbon years ago
(≈13,800–11,400 calendar years B.P.). Whether the absence of fossil
occurrences for the remaining 19 genera from this time interval is the
result of sampling error or temporally staggered extinctions is unclear.
The cause of the extinctions has been exceptionally tricky to resolve in
NA because the time of extinction overlaps both a critical one for climate change and the time that the Clovis people flourished, although
it is hard to see why a more livable climate would lead to a mass
extinction.
A short-faced bear Arctodus simus, showing size
relative to an adult human. Some weighedover a
ton, twice the size of a grizzly bear.
There is no question that humans played a role in this ‘mass extinction in a geological instant’ in North
America. Archeological sites that illustrate heavy human predation on large mammals in that time period
include the 15,000 year old Mezhirich site 90 miles south of Kiev in the Ukraine there are 4 oval shaped
dwelling built of 70 tons of mammoth bones from at least 200 kills (mammoths went extinct in Eurasia in
the same period). One dwelling has an outer wall composed of 95 mammoth mandibles stacked on top of
one another in a herringbone pattern. A site in Czechoslovakia has over 1000 mammoths. . The most spectacular accumulation of all exists at Solutre in France, where at the foot of a steep cliff extensive deposits
more than 3 feet thick contain the bones of 10,000 to 100,000 horses, either driven to their deaths off the
top of the cliff or ambushed in a narrow pass down below. (fm The Creative Explosion pg 60).
In North America there is ample evidence of the heavy toll that Native Americans could take on the large
mammals present in more recent times. A stampede of bison 150 miles southeast of Denver drove 190 of
the animals over a cliff
A wikipedia page titled ‘Buffalo Jumps’ notes that Native Americans “herded the bison and drove them
over the cliff, breaking their legs and rendering them immobile. Tribe members waiting below closed in
with spears and bows to finish the kills. The Blackfoot Indians called the buffalo jumps "pishkun", which
loosely translates as "deep blood kettle". This type of hunting was a communal event which occurred as
early as 12,000 years ago and lasted until at least 1500 CE, around the time of the introduction of horses.
On all of the continents and islands where Homo sapiens was a recent arrival during the late Pleistocene
and Recent Eras, there were die-offs of large animals. A recent dating of the extinction of a large flightless
bird in Australia using an amino acid technique on eggshells indicates 50,000 years ago--just when Aborigines arrived. Moas in Tasmania survived until humans arrived 800 years ago. In 1999 a rigorously
tested radiocarbon dating showed that the last occurrence of ground sloths in Cuba was 6250 years ago,
around the time that people first arrived there. Ground sloths went extinct on the continent 13,000 years
ago. Of course, there was no large extinction event in Africa, where the megafauna and humans had coevolved.
In 1839 Charles Darwin wrote ‘It is impossible to reflect on the state of the American continent without
astonishment. Formerly it must have swarmed with great monsters; now we find mere pygmies compared with the antecedent races. “ On pages 3 & 4 are images of 28 species of large mammals that went
extinct at the end of the last glacial advance; 64 such species are listed below.
Alfred Russel Wallace observed that on a global scale, ‘We live in a zoologically impoverished world,
from which all the hugest and fiercest and strangest forms have recently disappeared."
compiled by Dana Visalli/[email protected]/www.methownaturalist.com
Pleistocene Mammal Extinctions in North America
Common Name
Scientific Name
Family
Last Appearance
(years ago)
Xenarthra (anteaters, sloths and armadillos)
Beautiful armadillo
Dasypus bellus
Panamerican ground sloth Eremotherium laurillardi
Rusconi's ground sloth
Eremotherium rusconi
Ground sloth
Glossotherium robustum
Simpson's glyptodont
Glyptotherium floridanum
Northern pampathere
Holmesina major (3+ species)
Jefferson's ground sloth
Megalonyx jeffersonii
Florida ground sloth
Megalonyx leptostomus
Shasta ground sloth
Nothrotheriops shastensis
Harlan’s Ground sloth
Paramylodon harlani
Dasypodidae
Megatheriidae
Megatheriidae
Mylodontidae
Glyptodontidae
Pampatheriidae
Megalonychidae
Megalonychidae
Megatheriidae
Mylodontidae
11,000
11,000
39,000
9000
23,000
11,000
11,500
11,000
11,500
11,000
Carnivora
Giant short-faced bear
Short-faced skunk
Dire wolf
Dhole
Scimitar cat
American cheetah1
American cheetah2
American lion
Sabertooth Cat
Florida cave bear
Arctodus simus
Brachyprotoma obtusata
Canis dirus
Cuon alpinus*
Homotherium serum
Miracinonyx inexpectatus
Miracinonyx trumani
Panthera (leo) atrox
Smilodon fatalis
Tremarctos floridanus
Ursidae
Mustelidae
Canidae
Canidae
Felidae
Felidae
Felidae
Felidae
Felidae
Ursidae
11,000
13.700
9000
12,000
10,000
11,000
15,000
11,000
11,000
23,000
Rodentia
Giant beaver
Giant beaver
Holmes's capybara
Pinckney's capybara
Castoroides leiseyorum
Castoroides ohioensis
Hydrochoeris holmesi
Neochoerus pinckneyi
Castoridae
Castoridae
Hydrochoeridae
Hydrochoeridae
11,000
11,000
12,000
~13,000
Lagomorpha
Aztlan rabbit
Aztlanolagus agilis
Leporidae
>31,000
Perissodactyla
Mexican horse
Yukon horse
Scott’s horse
Hagerman horse
California tapir
Cope’s tapir
California tapir
Vero tapir
Equus conversidens
Equus lambei
Equus scotti
Equus simplicidens
Tapirus californicus
Tapirus copei
Tapirus merriami
Tapirus veroensis
Equidae
Equidae
Equidae`
Equidae
Tapiridae
Tapiridae
Tapiridae
Tapiridae
11,000
11,000
11,000
10,000
11,000
11,000
11,000
12,000
Artiodactyla
Long-horned bison
Steppe bison
Harlan’s musk-ox
Yesterday’s (Western) camel
Bison latifrons
Bison priscus (antiquus)
Bootherium bombifrons
Camelops hesternus
Bovidae
Bovidae
Bovidae
Camelidae
20,000
8000
11,000
10,500
Diminutive pronghorn
Stag moose
Shrub ox
Large-headed llama
Long-nosed peccary
Mountain deer
Harrington’s mountain goat
Stout-legged llama
Flat-headed peccary
Pronghorn
Saiga
Shuler’s pronghorn
Capromeryx minor (3 species)
Antilocapridae
Cervalces scotti
Cervidae
Euceratherium collinum
Bovidae
Hemiauchenia macrocephala
Camelidae
Mylohyus (5 species)
Tayiassuidae
Odocoileus lucasi (was Navahoceros) Cervidae
Oreamnos harringtoni
Caprinidae
Palaeolama mirifica
Camelidae
Platygonus (9 species)
Tayassuidae
Stockoceros onusrosagris
Antilocapridae
Saiga tartarica*
Bovidae
Tetrameryx schuleri
Antilocapridae
Proboscidea
Gomphothere
American mastodon
Columbian mammoth
~64 species listed
Cuvieronius hyodon
Mammut americanum
Mammuthus columbi
Gomphotheriidae
Mammutidae
Elephantidae
12,500
10,500
10,500
Amplibuteo woodwardi
Breagyps sp
Buteogallus daggetti
Chendytes lawi
Cicona matha
Meleagris californica
Neogyps errans
Spizaetus grinnelli
Teratornis merriami
Teratornis wooodburnensis
Accipitridae
Ca5thartidae
Accipitridae
Anatidae
Ciconiidae
Meleagrididae
Accipitridae
Accipitridae
Teratornithidae
Teratornithidae
12,000
13,000
13,000
2500
~13,000
10,000
~13,000
~13,000
10,000
11,000
Aves- Birds
Woodward’s eagle
American condor
Dagett’s walking eagle
Sea Duck
La Brea stork
California turkey
Errant eagle
Floridan hawk eagle
Merriam’s Teratorn
Teratorn
12,000
11,500
11,500
12,000
12,000
13,000
12,000
11,000
11,000
11,000
12,000
23,000
*The two starred species are extinct in North America but still exist elsewhere
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_animals_extinct_in_the_Holocene (names many species, not all)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_extinctions This timeline runs from 12,000 years ago to about the year 2000.
Extinct North American Pleistocene Mammals
Beautiful Armadillo
Dasypus bellus
Panamerican Ground Sloth
Eremotherium laurillardi
Ground Sloth
Glossotherium robustum
Panamerican Ground Sloth
Eremotherium laurillardi
Jefferson’s Ground Sloth
Megalonyx jeffersonii
Shasta Ground Sloth
Nothrotheriops shastensis
Giant Short-faced Bear
Arctodus simus
Dire Wolf
Canis dirus
Scimitar Cat
Homotherium serum
American Lion
Panthera atrox
Sabertooth Cat
Smilidon fatalis
Mexican Horse
Equus conversidens
Yukon Horse
Equus lambei
California Tapir
Tapirus californicus
Vero Tapir
Tapirus veroensis
Harlan’s Musk-ox
Bootherium bombifrons
Yesterday’s Camel
Camelops hesternum
Short-legged Llama
Palaeolama mirifica
Shrub Ox
Euceratherium collinum
Large-headed Llama
Hemiauchenia macrocephala
Stag Moose
Cervales scotti
Long-horned Bison
Bison latifrons
Gomphothere
Cuvieronius hyodon
American Mastodon
Mammut americanum
Columbian Mammoth
Mammuthus comumbi
Pygmy Mammoth
Mammuthus exilis
Woolly Mammoth
Mammuthus prmigenius
compiled by Dana Visalli/[email protected]/www.methownaturalist.com
Mass extinctions of large mammals (and large birds) occurred on different continents and islands soon after humans
arrived in those places. Graphic from The Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson.