Pleistocene Mammals of North America Mike Hils Palaeontology

The Pleistocene Lasted from 1.8 Ma to 10 ka Name comes from Greek meaning “most” and “new” 4 major glaciation events End of the Pleistocene corresponds to the end of the Paleolithic period in Archaeology

The Mammals Mammals had been diversifying since the K/T extinction 65 Ma before The Cenozoic is the “Age of Mammals” Diversity was much higher than it is now Land bridges formed by volcanism and lowering of sea level allowed for faunal exchanges to occur

The Mammals Orders and Families were much more widely spread than today Although Ohio was mostly covered by ice during the last glaciation, many Pleistocene fossils have been found Many Pleistocene animals are still around today

NA Beaver Castor canadensis White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus Red Fox Vulpes vulpes Black Bear Ursus americanus

Were all found in Ohio!!! Musk Ox Ovibos moschatus Bison Bison bison Elk Cervus canadensis Reindeer Rangifer tarandus

Endemic Groups Perissodactyls (horses, rhinos, tapirs) Artiodactyls Antilocapridae (Pronghorns) Camelidae (Camels) Tayassuidae (Peccaries)

Perissodactyla Horses Tapirs Used to be several species alive About 40 species named May be fewer Today there are only two true horses and 8 other spp in Equus Massive extinction in North America Europeans brought horses back Tapirs 4 spps living in S. American and Asia

Horses Tooth Equus scotti Stripes! Equus ferus przewalskii

Carnivora Giant Short-faced Bear (Arctodus simus) Genus is ancestral to Spectacled Bear Competition with Ursine bears? North American Lion (Panthera leo atrox) Larger than African & Asian lions Smilodon (Smilodon fatalis) Subfamily Machairodontinae Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) More robust than Gray Wolf Hyaena-like in lifestyle

Canis dirus Panthera leo atrox Arcotodus simus Smilodon fatalis

Proboscidea Three families in North America: All originated in Africa Gomphotheriidae – Gomphotheres, 3 spp Mammutidae – Mastodons, 1 sp Elephantidae – Mammoths, 4 spp All originated in Africa Represented by 3 species today Asian Elephants most closely related to mammoths

Gomphotheres

Mastodons M. dinozordus Mammut americanum Burning Tree Mastodon, Newark, OH

Mammoths M. primigenius M. imperator Mammuthus columbi

Xenartha Rodentia Endemic to South America Cingulata Pilosa Glyptodon - armadillo-like Pilosa Giant Ground Sloths 4 spp in United States Last ones went extinct in 1550 on Hispaniola and Cuba Rodentia Giant Beaver - Castoroides ohioensis Weighed 130-220 lbs

Glyptodon Giant Ground Sloth Giant Beaver

The Extinction The Pleistocene megafauna died out shortly after the Ice Age ended Overkill Climate Change Hyperdisease A combination Megafauna also died out in all of the other continents Some obviously continue in special environments

Things to Consider Many animals alive today lived back then Elephants still live in Africa and Asia Horses survived in Asia, Africa and Europe

Pleistocene Parks Russia is setting up a preserve to recreate Pleistocene ecosystem Will stock it with modern equivalents Hope to clone mammoths It’s been suggested that the US create one, too Kind of been done with feral horses out west

Questions?