|
The
Woolly
Mammoth
 The
Woolly Mammoth roamed North America and the European continent during
the Pleistocene Epoch in the Quaternary Period (the time in which we
now live).
Ancient cave paintings found at
prehistoric archeological sites provide solid evidence that the (now
extinct) Wooly Mammoth shared the planet at the same time as Paleolithic man.
The Pleistocene began about one million years ago and was a time that
saw massive ice sheets, some as thick as 10,000 feet, (that's nearly 2
miles thick) covering much of the Northern Hemisphere along with
several mountain ranges in the Southern Hemisphere. The
earth was a cold and hostile place in this time period and this
particular "ice age" produced at least four very significant glacial
advances that didn't retreat until approximately
10,000 years ago.
The Woolly Mammoth was an imposing creature standing up to 14 feet tall
at the shoulder, and brandishing massive curved tusks that were as much
as 13 feet in length. The Woolly Mammoth was well equipped for life in
the ice age with a thick hide and a massive fur coat. These large
animals all became extinct sometime near the end of the Pleistocene. (Likely
hunted to extinction by Paleolithic man.)
The Mammoth Tooth Fossil
Specimen.
This rare, and gigantic 7 inch (179 mm)
"Collector-Grade" late Pleistocene Woolly Mammoth tooth is
approximately 25,000 years old.
The tooth was found in the Netherlands in
Pleistocene deposits in the Rhine River. This well preserved tooth is
in remarkable condition with great chewing surfaces and superb roots.
(few mammoth teeth are ever found with complete roots.)
Smilodon fatalis "The Saber Tooth"
 Smilodon
fatalis appeared on the North American continent roughly 1.6 million years
ago and passed into extinction a mere 10,000 years ago.
By any measure, this saber-toothed cat was one of the most ferocious
predators of it’s time. In the last 15,000 years of its existence it shared
the continent with Paleolithic man, which I’m sure resulted in extreme peril
for both species.
The Smilodon is believed to have been a somewhat social creature, living and
hunting in packs much like modern African lions. According to paleontologists
these packs roamed open grasslands and the pleistocene forests in search of
prey. Their heavy skeletal remains suggest that rather than running down
prey in the open, they used their very powerful bodies and stealth to ambush
the unwary.
The saber tooth also had immensely
powerful jaws that could open to a staggering 120 degrees and its long
canine sabers were used to slash the throat of its prey. Much like
the modern Tiger, the saber tooth was a large animal between 39 to 47
inches tall (on all fours) 8 to 9 feet long and ranging in weight from
about 350 to nearly 500 lbs.
Cave Bear Jaw
 This
is the jaw bone of a late Pleistocene period Cave Bear (Ursus Speleaus).
This imposing omnivore was the last species of an evolutionary line of "cave
bears", it stood about 5 feet tall at the shoulder (on all fours) and was
approximately 6 and a half feet from the tip of its nose to its tail. In
comparison, it was a bit larger than the average Alaskan Brown Bear is
today.
Ursus spelaeus was fairly common in the
late Pleistocene Ice Age, through most of central and southern Europe,
including southern England and extending to the Caspian Sea. In one cave
in Austria, the remains of more than 30,000 cave bears were found,
indicating repeated use of the cave by these large animals.
In Medieval Europe, the discovery of cave
bear teeth in the dark recesses of caves, (lacking the science of
Paleontology) gave rise to legends of dreaded creatures called dragons.
This jaw was found in a cave in the
Rumanian Bihor Mountains.
 Complete,
incredibly well preserved paw of a Cave Bear from
the late Pleistocene Ice Age.
This specimen was also found in a cave in
Austria.
The Pleistocene, The Last Ice Age:
The Pleistocene
Epoch was the period of time in which the earth experienced its most
recent Ice Age. During that period of roughly 1.6 million years massive
Ice Sheets, sometimes towering up to 10,000 feet thick covered a huge
expanse of land across the planet. There were at least 20 discernable
glaciations where the surface area and thickness of the ice cover
increased, each followed by periods of interglaciations where the ice
cover melted.
The most recent
glaciation in North America is referred to as the Wisconsin glaciation
and it occurred from about 115,000 years ago, finally ending around
10,000 years ago. Since the end of the Wisconsin glaciation the earth
has enjoyed a relatively warm 10,000 year period (an interglaciation).
The climate during
the Pleistocene Epoch was considerably colder then it is today, on
average as much as 27° F colder. In that
period significant geological changes were also brought about by the
massive ice sheets. Vast areas of land were compressed under millions
of tons of slowly moving ice, entire mountains and even volcanoes, were
plowed under and new land masses formed. New rivers, lakes and vast
inland seas were created, and existing ones altered or obliterated
completely. During the periods of glaciation, sea levels dropped by as
much as 500 feet (in contrast to today’s sea levels) exposing new land
for thousands of years, and then returning them into the seas as the ice
melted.
It
is highly likely that early human inhabitants occupied these (now
submerged) coastal areas to benefit from the warmer ocean currents and a
more sustainable food source. As the science and tools of underwater
archaeology advances new discoveries regarding our ancient coastlines
and Paleolithic peoples will emerge.
|
This
very well preserved and colorful fossil
tooth was retrieved from the bottom of an ancient Florida river in 2004.
