Discover the amazing ice age animals that survive in low temperatures. From the giant ground sloth to the dire wolf, read along to discover ice age animals.
The last Glacial period, we know as the ice age, is the last long period during which Earth’s temperature dropped drastically, and the polar ice covered much of the Earth probably a thousand years ago. Precisely, it began 115000 years ago and lasted for more than 100,000 years.
During this period, many animal species grew, rose, and fell. Generally, it is believed that many giant mammal species became extinct during this shift from the ice age to the present interglacial period. (Approximately 50,000 to 5000 years ago)
During the ice age animals became extinct due to a combination of instant climate changes, vegetation changes, and human hunting. The Ice Age period includes some of the truly amazing giant animals, such as giant sloths nearly 12 feet long. In today’s list, you’ll learn about 15 charismatic ice age animals ( extinct now) that lived during the age of ice and snow!
Ice Age Animals:
The ice age animals are as follows:
- Neanderthals
- Megafauna
- Giant Ground Sloth
- Woolly Mammoths
- Steppe Bisson
- Cave Bears
- Irish Elk
- Castoroides
- Dodo
- Sabre Tooth Cat
- Diprotodon
- Giant Beaver
- Megalania
- Gastornis
- Dire Wolf
15 Extinct Ice Age Animals
Neanderthals:
Neanderthals
We, ourselves, emerged 300,000 years ago and survived the last ice age. But we were not only the ancient humans around; our evolutionary partners, the Neanderthals, survived this freezing temperature with us.
The Neanderthals emerged at the same time as us, but unfortunately, they went extinct nearly 40,000 years ago during the ice age.
There is a difference of opinion on the cause of their extinction. Some say it’s because of competition from diseases introduced by Homo sapiens or assimilation into the human gene pool. However, recent theories suggest that the primary cause of Neanderthal extinction might be climate change. Though they adapted biologically and behaviorally to the cold, they still struggled to fight the freezing cold weather and the unavailability of food. Well, how we survived that harsh time and why Neanderthals became extinct is an interesting question.
Megafauna:
Megafauna
The term “Megafauna” refers to the gigantic animals that dominated the Ice Age landscapes. These were the behemoths of their time, including mammoths, ground sloths, and saber-toothed cats. They played a crucial role in their ecosystems but faced extinction due to drastic climate changes and overhunting. Imagine walking among creatures like the Irish elk or dire wolf — quite a scene, isn’t it?
Giant Ground Sloth:
Giant Ground Sloth
No, no, it’s not the sloth you know; these beasts were quite different from the sloths we love today. Honestly speaking, they were truly colossal; they were 3.7 n Kong when standing up on their hind legs and weighed more than four tonnes.
The giant ground sloth holds the record as the largest bipedal mammal of all time because of its ability to walk on hind legs. They lived in the woodlands and grasslands of South America. Their fossils have been found by experts dating back from around 400,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago. You might be surprised to know that besides having giant frightening claws, it still was a vegetarian and loved to eat leaves and grasses.
Wooly Mammoths:
Wooly Mammoths
One of the most famous ice age animals is the Wooly Mammoth. ( Thanks to the film character Mannyl). They lived from probably 300,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago. You might know these giant elephant-sized animals, as they are one of the best-known prehistoric creatures. Many soft tissue frozen specimens have been found of wooly mammoths that have made them famous!
The Wooly mammoths fought the cold well; they had thick coats of hair, large fat reserves, and particularly “ antifreeze blood.” They were also very beneficial for humans throughout the ice age. Their coats, fur, meat, and bones were a source of warmth, food, and building materials for humans and other animals.
Steppe Bison:
Steppe Bison
Steppe bison were one of the most iconic Ice Age herbivores, roaming vast landscapes from Europe to North America. They weighed over 900 kg and had massive curved horns, making them both majestic and formidable. Known for their endurance, these animals were well-suited to cold, harsh climates. Their fossils have been found in regions like Alaska and Siberia, often in excellent condition due to permafrost.
Cave Bears:
Cave Bears
Cave Bears were huge ice animals weighing between 400 and 1000 kg. You can understand the size of cave bears by comparing them to modern-day polar bears found in Europe, Asia, and the UK.
The cave bears fossils dated back to between 22,000 to 39500 years ago. It’s believed that they lived towards the end of the time of the cave bears, who are believed to become extinct 24,000 years ago. Excessive hunting by humans and survival competition with other cave animals are the reason for their extinction.
Irish Elk:
Irish Elk
The species of this deer is big, as evidenced by their scientific name Megaloceros giganteus. They were 1.8 meters tall at shoulder height and had the largest antlers among the deer species, living or extinct!
Their large antlers must have been something to behold, reaching an amazing height of 3.5 meters.
Despite the name, they were not restricted to Ireland only; but some of the most well-preserved fossils have been found there. Thf most recent fossil dates back to 7700 years ago and was found in western Russia. It was another victim of the megafaunal extinction event that occurred around the end of the ice age!
Castoroides:
Castoroides
Meet the Castoroides, the giant beaver that thrived during the Ice Age. These creatures were roughly the size of a modern black bear, with their bodies stretching up to 2.5 meters. Their massive incisors could grow up to 15 cm, perfect for cutting through trees. While they resemble today’s beavers, it’s unclear whether they built dams. Still, their giant size and distinctive features make them unforgettable Ice Age icons.
Dodo:
Dodo
While not traditionally associated with the Ice Age, the Dodo is a striking example of how animals adapted to isolated environments. Native to Mauritius, this flightless bird thrived without natural predators until humans arrived. Standing about 3 feet tall and weighing around 15–20 kg, the Dodo’s extinction, primarily due to human activities, marks a poignant chapter in history.
Sabre Tooth Cat:
Sabre Tooth Cat
The iconic ice age animal, saber tooth cat, was found in La Brea tar pits. You might be surprised to know that more than 3000 fossils have been collected from the ooze. These fossils, especially their teeth, have provided a valuable source of knowledge about their diet and life!
The archeologists and scientists have found wear patterns on their gnashers and concluded that rather than preying and bringing down large animals like bison in the open plains, they were most likely to feed on smaller forest-dwelling animals like deer and tapirs. Sabre tooth cats were actually, ambush predators, similar to modern-day big cats.
Diprotodon:
Diprotodon
Diprotodon was a huge marsupial mammal. They are one of the famous ice age animals. Honestly speaking, they were
the largest marsupial to have ever lived.
Diprotodons were 4 meters long and weighed approximately 3500 kg. They were huge enough that they dwarfed the current largest marsupial, the red kangaroo, which is 2.7 meters long and weighs 90 kg only.
The modern-day relatives of diprotodon wombats and koalas are much smaller. It also has the record of being the only known seasonally migrating marsupial. They trek very far in search of food and water!
Giant Beaver:
Giant Beaver
As evident from the name, the giant Beaver was 1.8 meters long, and their teeth were large enough to resemble the size of a hot dog, reaching up to 15 cm. It hasn’t been confirmed yet that, like modern-day beavers, the ancient giant beavers build dams. But, it’s well known that these giant incisors were used for woodcutting.
Similarly, it’s also known that they had smaller, smoother brains compared to modern-day beavers. This indicates that they were less behavioral and social complex!
Megalania:
Megalania
Until now, we have discussed giant mammals, but there were some other ice age animals as well. It was hard for cold-blooded animals like reptiles to survive the frozen ice age, and it makes sense! Though there was an ice age across the globe, not all of the world was icy, and some places were habitable. One such place was Australia.
In Australia, giant reptiles ruled during the ice age. These included huge giant animals such as land living crocodiles, massive snakes, and megalania ( a dreadful and truly monstrous relative of the Komodo dragon)
Megalania were the monitor lizards that reached a height of 7 meters. They were a key land predator at the top of the food chain.
It is believed that the extinction of megalania has left the Australian land out of kilter, allowing introduced mammals to roam unchecked.
Gastornis:
Gastornis
Gastornis was a giant, flightless bird that lived during the Paleogene period but continued to survive into colder climates. Standing over 2 meters tall, it had a massive, powerful beak that could crush bones. Though often depicted as a carnivore, recent research suggests it might have been herbivorous, feeding on tough plant material. This bird ruled the land before mammals took over.
Dire Wolf:
Dire Wolf
Dire wolves aren’t just fictional pets from Game of Thrones. They were really ice age animals. Though named as a wolf, genetic analysis has revealed that they weren’t actually related to gray wolves but to African jackals.
They were present in the American Late Pleistocene Landscape probably 250,000 to 13,000 years ago. They roam the grasslands, plains, and woods, preying on the megafauna including the giant ground sloths. The fossil data on this species is overabundant, with more than 4000 individuals excavated from California’s La Brea tar Pits alone!
What Animal is Sid From Ice Age?
Sid from Ice Age is a ground sloth. It specifically represents a prehistoric ground sloth that lived during the Ice Age. These creatures, like Sid, were herbivorous. They are known for their slow movements and quirky behaviors.
However, unlike Sid’s small size, real prehistoric ground sloths could grow much larger, with some species like the Megatherium reaching the size of an elephant.
However, if you’re wondering about the character Sid the Sloth from the animated movie Ice Age, he represents a humorous, anthropomorphic portrayal of these prehistoric creatures.
Sid is a clumsy but lovable ground sloth who plays a significant role in the film series as part of the group of animals going through the challenges of the Ice Age.
Sloth Ice Age:
The term “Ice Age sloth” often refers to the giant ground sloths that lived during the Ice Age period. It was a time of extensive glaciation that occurred thousands of years ago. These sloths, such as Megatherium and Eremotherium, were large, slow-moving herbivorous mammals belonging to the extinct group Megalonychidae or Mylodontidae.
Unlike modern tree-dwelling sloths, they lived on the ground and could grow up to the size of an elephant.
Conclusion:
During the ice age animals survived the cold frozen temperature by adaptations, but now they have become extinct!
