Quaternary

âPeriod of geological time covering the Holocene plus the Pleistocene. Up to 2.6 million years ago.

AMERICAN LION panthera leo atroxThis extinct lion was found in throughout North America as well as northern South America. It had sharp retractable claws and sharp teeth (shorter than those of other extinct cats). The most well known fossils found were out of the Rancho La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, although some were also found in Alaska. Other subspecies of the American leo can be found today in parts of Africa and in western India.TIME - PleistoceneRANGE - North America / South AmericaDIET - Carnivore (meat eater)SIZE - 11ft. 6in. (3.5m) longsee time period

ARCODUS simusTIME - Pleistocenesee time period

BOS PRIMIGENIUSThis beast is the ancestor to most of our modern cattle. First domesticated some 6,000 yearsago, it became extinct around 10th century AD.TIME - Pleistocene to 10th century ADRANGE - North Africa, Europe, and AsiaSIZE - Up to 10ft (3m) longsee time period

CANIS lupusRelated to extant timber wolves of today, Canis lupus roamed the Pleistocene wooded areas and hunted in packs. TIME - Pleistocene.RANGE - Europe.SIZE - Adults reached lengths of 6ft and a shoulder height of 3ft.DIET - Various small mammals and occasionally a large one.see time period

COELODONTA antiquitatisThis creature was a huge beast that lived in during the last ice age. The Coelodonta had a massive body and a thick, shaggy coat that protected it against the harsh climate of the tundra and steppe that bordered the great glaciers of the Northern Hemisphere. Coelodonta had a pair of huge horns on its snout that reached lengths of up to 3ft in the largest of males. These creatures were hunted by early humans and they were depicted on the walls of caves in France 30,000 years ago.TIME - 200 - 25 TYA, Pleistocene epoch.SIZE - Up to 12ft (3.7m) long and 5.5ft (1.7m) at the shoulder.WEIGHT - Up to 1.2 US tons.see time period

COLUMBIAN MAMMOTHThe Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) was the largest mammal to have been trapped in the La Brea Tar Pits. Some individuals stood over 13 feet tall. The mammoth migrated into North America from Asia about 2 million years ago. The Columbian Mammoth was larger, but less hairy, than the wooly mammoth which lived near the ice sheets in the northern end of the continent. The mammoth became extinct about 11,000 years ago - about the same time the first humans migrated into North America. TIME - Late Pliocene to Late PleistoceneRANGE - North America, south of the ice sheets.DIET - Mostly grass but also leaves.SIZE - 12ft (3.6 m) at the shoulders.WEIGHT - 10,000 lbs (4,600 kg)see time period

DICERORHINUS KIRCHBERGENSISsee time period

MASTODON americanus TIME - Pleistocenesee time period

2-0 Million Years AgoThe second and last period of the Cenozoic era, this period is divided into two epochs: Pleistocene and Holocene. Mammoths roamed the lands. Cattle, deer, and of course, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens.Wooly Mammoth(Mammuthus primigenius) Saber Tooth Cat Columbian Mammoth American Lion(Panthera Leo Atrox) Mastodon Bos Primigenius Coelodonta Dicerorhinus Kirchbergensis Arcodus simus Canis(lupis) see list of time periods

SABER TOOTH CAT SmilidonThis classic sabertooth cat (or Smilidon) roamed North America (California) and South America (Argentina). It had a short tail, much like the bobcats of today. Its huge pair of teeth on the upper jaw were serrated along their back edges, this allowed it to easily pierce the flesh of its prey more easily. With its muscular shoulders and neck, it most likely feed on slow moving large prey in which it could sink its large teeth into. Large numbers of skeletons have been found in the Pleistocene tar pits of Rancho La Brea in Los Angeles. This species, called S. californicus, has been adopted as California's state fossil.TIME - Late Pleistocene periodRANGE - North America / South AmericaDIET - Carnivore (meat eater)SIZE - 4ft (1.2m) longsee time period

WOOLY MAMMOTH mammuthus primigeniusThis well known mammoth was a cold climate dweller equipped with a thick layer of fat for insulation, and an exterior of long black hair. It was smaller than most mammoths, and had a hump of fat behind its domed head. It fed on low tundra vegetation in which it scraped away snow and ice from with its ivory tusks. Several well preserved remains have been found in Siberia and Alaska and cave paintings in Spain and France show depictions of the Wooly Mammoth as seen by early humans. The mammuthus primigenius went extinct only about 10,000 years ago.TIME - Late PleistoceneRANGE - Europe / North America / AsiaDIET - Tundra vegetationSIZE - 9ft. (2.7m) highsee time period

Science Categories

Agriculture

Astronomy

Biology

Botany

Chemistry

Mathematics & Statistics

Physics

Zoology

Other Resources

Quaternary

Science Dictionary INDEX:

List of Terms: Terms beginning with "A", Page 1