Five Pleistocene Megafauna We Dearly Miss

Regretfully, the Pleistocene epoch occurred slightly before our time. That is to say, it began around 2.5 million years ago and ended around 11,700 years ago. The geological period was characterized by the evolution of humans, drastic shifts in the climate, the last ice age, and, of course, megafauna. Megafauna are basically very large animals, such as elephants and whales (the exact specifications for what qualifies an animal as a megafauna is debated). During the Pleistocene epoch, they were everywhere. It’s believed that the boom in megafauna was caused by the glacial conditions. Due to the well-preserved fossil records of the Pleistocene, we know that there were a very extensive amount of megafauna species. Compared to the many megafauna that once roamed the Earth, very few exist nowadays. While most have present day descendants, the descendants are simply smaller…and a lot less cool. Most of the megafauna went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene epoch, likely because of climate change. Unfortunately, this means we’ll never get to see a sabertooth tiger or a mastodon. Despite that, we can always look back and appreciate the awesomeness of these gigantic animals. So here are five kinds of megafauna to know!
Megatherium
Megatherium, or the giant ground sloth, was the massive ancestor of the present-day tree sloths. But unlike tree sloths that typically weigh between 9 and 17 pounds, the megatherium likely weighed over 8,000. Similar to tree sloths, Megatherium also fed on the canopies of trees, but they didn’t live in them. Instead, they just reached up with their huge claws to grab the leaves.
Dire Wolf
The dire wolf, Canis (Aenocyn) dirus, was a large predator that inhabited North and South America during the late Pleistocene era. Based on where dire wolf fossils have been found, we know it could adapt to many environments. Similar to modern-day wolves, dire wolves were social animals and worked together to take down large prey. They were about the size of the largest of today’s gray wolves but had even larger teeth. The dire wolf has an extensive fossil record, which is rare for a carnivore of its size.
Aiolornis
Megafauna weren’t just mammals! The Aiolornis incredibilis was a giant carnivorous member of the teratorn family, a family of birds. Sometimes it’s called a giant condor because of its resemblance to modern-day condors, but it actually belonged to a different family. While a full Aiolornis fossil hasn’t been found, we can estimate that it had a wingspan about 16-18 feet long. That’s almost 6 feet longer than that of the wandering albatross, the bird that currently possesses the longest wingspan.
Diprotodon
The Diprotodon optatum is the giant ancestor of today’s wombat. It was an herbivore that inhabited Australia, just like its modern descendant. The largest marsupial to ever exist, the Diprotodon, measured six feet tall at the shoulder. Their skulls were oversized, which as a result contained many air pockets in order to keep them lightweight!

Wooly mammoth
One of the most iconic creatures of the Pleistocene is definitely the mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius was a very hairy creature similar to the African elephant. Mammoths developed many adaptations to deal with the glacial climate. They had small ears to prevent them from losing body heat, as well as two layers of shaggy fur. Mammoths used their 15-foot-long tusks to dig through the snow and reach the grasses underneath.
In Conclusion
Sadly, we will never get to witness an Aiolornis dive out of the sky to catch its prey or a pack of Direwolves running across the tundra. However, we can still celebrate how cool the megafauna were. The world is dimmer without the shining light of these incredible creatures. Rest in peace megafauna, we miss you!
Sources
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/quaternary/pleistocene.php
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/exhibits/blog/florida-fossils-pleistocene-epoch/
https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-time/megafauna/#:~:text=Megafauna
%20are%20large%20animals%20that,million%20to%2011%2C700%20years%20ago.
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html
https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-time/extinct-animals/diprotodon-
optatum/#:~:text=The%20massive%20Diprotodon%20optatum%2C%20from,well
%20known%20of%20the%20megafauna.

NAVA TABATA

Editor at The City Voice

Nava is currently a senior at City. She has been writing for The City Voice since her sophomore year and now serves as an editor. Although she enjoys covering a wide range of subjects, her favorite topics to write about are history and ecology. Outside of the newspaper, you can usually find her playing violin in City’s pit orchestra, volunteering at her local library, or going on walks to observe the antics of her neighborhood squirrels.