Paleo-Indians and Megafauna

North America At the end of the Ice Age, about 12,000 years ago people began traveling to North America. The first people in the America’s traveled across a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska. They spread throughout what is now the United States.

Paleo-Indians The first people to inhabit North America were hunter and gatherers who lived during the end of the last Ice Age. Paleo-Indian camps were typically small ones, consisting of bands or groups of 20-50 people of both sexes and all ages. Band organization was egalitarian, meaning there were no formal leaders and no social status or classes.

Kill Site A Paleo-Indian group butchering and cooking a mastodon. This is an example of a kill site. Because they preserve well, today we find bones, projectile points, other stone tools, and charcoal as evidence that prehistoric peoples inhabited a site. Artifacts such as leather, fur, grass, and other foods don’t preserve well and are not often found.

Hunting Spear One of the most distinctive tools was the Clovis projectile point. This fluted point was hafted or tied to a wood harpoon-like lance which were thrown in close proximity to the animal. Once the point was imbedded in the animal it would come loose from the spear shaft, allowing the point to be reused.

Tool Kit North America’s earliest inhabitants used a distinctive tool kit that was well adapted for the hunting and processing of big game animals. Tool kits included a variety of stone, bone, and antler implements. The kit was then carried around in a small purse-like pouch.

Tools 1 3 2 4 6 5 Antler awl used to make hide clothing. Bone needle used to sew hide for shoes and clothing. Hammerstone used to make stone tools Chert knives used to process meat. Scrapers used to clean hides. Fluted projectile points used to hunt. 1 3 2 4 6 5

Megafauna Paleo-Indians hunted large mammals called megafuana, most of which are now extinct. They followed herds of these big-game animals from place to place, hunting in groups. Because of the danger, men hunted while women raised children and gathered wild plant foods like nuts and berries

Sabertooth Cat (Smilodon fatalis) Height: 4ft (1. 2m) Lived: 1 Sabertooth Cat (Smilodon fatalis) Height: 4ft (1.2m) Lived: 1.5 million years ago - 10,000 years ago

Shortfaced Bear (Arctodus simus) Height: 5. 5ft (1 Shortfaced Bear (Arctodus simus) Height: 5.5ft (1.7m) Lived: 800,000 years ago - 10,000 years ago

Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) Height: 5ft (1 Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) Height: 5ft (1.5m) Lived: 1 million years ago - 10,000 years ago

Giant Ground Sloth (Eremotherium laurillardi) Height: 20ft (6m) Lived: 8 million years ago to 10,000 years ago

American Mastodon (Mammut americanum) Height: 9ft (2 American Mastodon (Mammut americanum) Height: 9ft (2.75m) Lived: 15 million years ago to 10,000 years ago

Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) Height: 9ft (2 Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) Height: 9ft (2.75m) Lived: 90,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago

North American Bison (Bison antiquus) Height: 7ft (2 North American Bison (Bison antiquus) Height: 7ft (2.1m) Lived: 40,000 years ago - 10,000 years ago