megafauna

Examples of megafauna in the following topics:

• The Pleistocene Extinction

  • Biodiversity loss, especially the disappearance of megafauna, during the Pleistocene Extinction has been linked to the arrival of humans.
  • It is well known that the North American, and to some degree Eurasian, megafauna disappeared toward the end of the last glaciation period.

• Early Lifestyles

  • The Paleo-Indians are believed to have followed herds of now-extinct Pleistocene megafauna along ice-free corridors that stretched between the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets. 
  • During much of the Early and Middle Paleo-Indian periods, inland bands are thought to have subsisted primarily through hunting now-extinct megafauna. 
  • The Clovis peoples did not rely exclusively on megafauna for subsistence. 

• Archaic Hunters and Gatherers

  • The Archaic period saw a changing environment featuring a warmer, more arid climate and the disappearance of the last megafauna.

• Wetland Soils

  • Megafauna: size range - 20 mm upward, e.g. moles, rabbits, and rodents.

• Migration to North America

  • The Paleo-Indians are believed to have followed herds of now-extinct Pleistocene megafauna along ice-free corridors that stretched between the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets.  

• Conclusion: Pre-Colonial Development of North America

  • As the climate changed and megafauna became extinct, Paleo-Indians were forced to employ a mixed-foraging strategy that included smaller terrestrial game, aquatic animals, and a variety of flora.