1. Extinct Mega Fauna of the Pleistocene in North America
North America 12,000 years ago
North America Today

2. Contents
Content and Language Objectives Terms to Know Herbivores Carnivores Extinction Theories A “New” Animal in North America Cave Art

3. Content Objective: Language Objective:
Students will learn about some of the extinct species of mega fauna that lived in North America before the mass extinctions of 9,000 years ago, and the causes of those extinctions.
Language Objective:
Students will listen, discuss and write vocabulary related to the Pleistocene extinctions of mega fauna.
In pairs, students will discuss the significance of the mass extinctions and apply the vocabulary to a graphic organizer (concept map).

4. Terms to Know Mega fauna: BIG ANIMALS!
Pleistocene: million years ago to 10,000 years ago
Ice Age: period of extreme cold, when glaciers covered continents
Glacier: a large sheet of ice, that is miles high
Land Bridge: a large land mass that linked Asia to North America
Herbivore: plant eater
Carnivore: meat eater
Overkill Theory: Humans killed all the mega fauna
Climate Change: The end of the Ice Age killed the mega fauna
Mass Extinction: many species of plants and animals die off
in a short period of time

5. The Herbivores (eat plants)

6. The Mammoth
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7. Snuffy from “Sesame Street”
Two Famous Mammoths
Snuffy from “Sesame Street”
Manny from “Ice Age”

8. The Giant Ground Sloth

9. The Giant Ground Sloth

10. The North American Camel

11. The Ancient Western Horse

12. The Carnivores! (eat meat)

13. The Saber Tooth Tiger

14. A Famous Saber Tooth Tiger
Diego from “Ice Age”

15. The Dire Wolf

16. How did the mega fauna go extinct?
THE BIG QUESTION:
How did the mega fauna go extinct?
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17. Theory #1: Climate Change
Between 14,000 years ago and 8,000 years ago the Ice Age ended.
North America today

18. Climate Change
Global Warming occurred between 14,000 and 8,000 years ago. Animals like mammoths could not adapt to the warmer and drier environment.

19. Then…. around 12,000 years ago, a new animal came to North America….
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20. The warming climate helped humans colonize North America.
Human tribes migrated from Asia to North America across a land bridge that is today covered by the sea.
The warming climate helped humans colonize North America.

21. Large spear points were used to hunt mammoths.
Mammoth hunters were likely the “first” Americans. They are the ancestors of most Native Americans.
Large spear points were used to hunt mammoths.
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22. Theory #2: Pleistocene Overkill!
Could human beings have hunted the Pleistocene mega fauna into extinction?

23. Two hunters carry a mammoth tusk back to camp.
Pleistocene Overkill
Two hunters carry a mammoth tusk back to camp.

24. Mass Extinctions of Mega fauna (13,000-9,000 years ago)OR
Overkill
Climate Change
Many scientists believe that both over-hunting and climate change led to the mass extinction of mega fauna.

25. End of the Pleistocene (9,000 years ago)
Humans in North America adapted to the warmer climate, while the mega fauna went extinct.

26. Mega Fauna in Cave Art
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30. Ancient Hands