ExtinctZoo - Ice Age America Was Basically Africa On Steroids

Episode Date: May 30, 2026

If you think about Ice Age America, you may picture a bunch of snow, ice, and cavemen. However, that would be wrong, and you would be much closer to reality if you simply pictured, an unlikely place, the great plains of Africa, as that is what America essentially was during the Ice Age, only it was a whole lot crazier.

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shape and size lumbering about, while then all around them, numerous biological killing machines lie in weight, promising death to any misfortune a victim who takes the wrong step. Now, I must be talking about the Great Plains of Africa, right? After all, that is the only place in the world that matches its description, in a sense. But no, I'm not talking about Africa at all, instead a place that seems to be the exact opposite when it comes to nature. America. Yes, the same America, however, 90% of its life is either people or animals we domesticated for our own benefit. The same America where in many areas, the only large animal you'll find is going to be a mutant rat. Looking into you, New York. So no doubt, the current state of the country is a far cry

from the nature you see in the savannas of Africa. However, that being said, not so long ago it was a different story, as prehistoric America was eerily a lot like Africa, but except on steroids. Now, given the oppressive heat and dryness that often goes hand in hand with the African savannas, it would be logical to think that I'm talking about a version of America, which was much hotter than now. Yet, ironically, I'm not. As in reality, this form of the U.S. took place when it was just about at its coldest point. In other words, the Ice Age. And I'm not talking about any old time in the Ice Age either, seeing that technically we are still in it. Instead of the time that it was arguably the most Africa-like, which was during the last glacial

maximum, between 26 and 20,000 years ago, which then adds another level of irony, as this point also presents the coldest phase of the entire Ice Age, when temperatures averaged a chilly 46 degrees Fahrenheit or 7.7 degrees Celsius worldwide. While down the planet's ice sheets had also expanded to their maximum point, covering 25% of the entire planet's land. And obviously, this included large areas of contiguous America as well, with ice sheets coming down as far as Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio, while states like New England, New York, and Vermont were completely covered by ice. In fact, if New York City was transported back to then, not even the one-world trade center would stick out from the ice. That's how much there was. But remarkably,

despite the fact that the ice was taller than skyscrapers in New York, the vast majority of America was ultimately untouched by the sheets, yet were impacted by the ice age in a different way. Because while the land remained exposed, everything was obviously much colder and drier than the present, resulting in a landscape completely foreign compared to now. For starters, the combination of cold and dry led to there being far fewer trees, if the shift in climate forced them to migrate, so to speak, being more prevalent in the south. Well, then many forests were also wiped out, allowing for grass, and short plants to dominate in their absence.

And so this led to the creation of megastepts, grasslands, and even cool, dry savannas, that based off of some models might have stretched out for an area between 40 and 60% greater than the Great Plains of the U.S. today. And this is not kind of the scrublands that were also formed around this time in the warmer parts. However, while things like scrubland and savannas do go hand in hand with a whole Africa vibe, you probably would find both places still being quite visually different. This thanks to their different climates, the actual vegetation and weather you'd encounter in America would not be the same. In the African savannas, the most common plants are those that are drought resistant, like roads, red-out, and elfin grasses, while trees like the Beobab and Acacia are scattered but present as well.

Meanwhile in Ice Age America, the grasses were mainly herb-dominated, while the minimal trees present were cold-resistant conifers such as spruce and pines. So this was clearly quite different than it was in the east, but in many ways they all played the same ecological function. attracting animals that held the same niches as those in Africa. However, as it probably goes without saying, do not expect to see any of the exact same species here, as those in the Ice Age were not one-for-one copies. And in many cases, we're, frankly, just that much more crazy, transforming the American landscape into one dominated by giants and beasts of every kind.

And amongst them, of course, was America's own Ice Age take on the elephant, and the largest animal to walk these lands since the dinosaurs. And no, it's not your mom. Instead, being the Colombian mammoth. I know most of you were probably more familiar with a woolly mammoth, but it was actually this species that largely dominated the U.S., inhabiting large swaths and being a commonplace site. It was also pretty hard to ignore as these things were giant, even surpassing the size of Africa's bush elephants. Bone suggests that the average individual would have stood between 12 and 13.8 feet tall at the shoulders, and could have weighed between 9 and 12.5 tons, making it larger than any known terrestrial animal today. And much like its modern cousins, Colombian mammoths had their very own pair of tusks that they used for similar tasks.

including foraging, fighting, and digging. However, where theirs differed was in shape and length, as they were much more curved and longer. With each of these modified incisor teeth, growing to be sometimes 13 feet or 4 meters long, while then the largest even pushed past 16 feet, so longer than three average-sized adults laying head to toe. But given their more curved nature, these giants would not have been able to stab, at least not so easily. But they definitely could still use their tus to thrust, push, swipe, or even crush other animals. And we even have direct proof that they were very much still lethal. As in Nebraska, a pair of these mammoths were found interlocked in a perpetual duel, with both of them having died together after their tusks

become stuck during a battle. Not to mention that one of them also had the others tusk jutting straight out of their orbital socket. So yeah, these things worked quite well. And another thing that worked quite well was their size, which gave them both defenses and plenty enough body heat to survive the Ice Age. And when you add that together with their more southern ranges, you get a mammoth that was significantly hairier than the elephant, but not as hairy as the woolly mammoth, with their coat being thinner, coarser, and similar in color to that, of a golden retriever.

Though, for your safety, I'd say you probably don't want to try to pet it, even if it was ultimately not interested in eating you, with these creatures possibly spending up to 20 hours a day munching on various kinds of grasses. And it actually wasn't the only one doing this, as on the fringes of the Great Open Plains, you would have found one of its relatives. And yes, I'm talking about the legend itself.

Me. Just kidding. The woolly mammoth. Sporting a much thicker coat, this species was far better equipped for extreme cold, and thus it actually wasn't as widespread in contiguous America, contrary to popular belief, with its remains only being found in Alaska and some of the more northern states. However, with that said, where it was found, it left a big impression, seeing that it was roughly the same size as modern African elephants, with large males being around 9 tons. And for its size, it had some pretty remarkably long tusks, that weren't actually that much shorter than those of the

Colombian mammoth, and also showed a surprising amount of variation, with some curving to the right, some curving to the left, some curving in different ways, and in some cases becoming downright spirals. Now, given its specialized lifestyle to the extremes of the Ice Age, the Willie Mammoth did prefer to stick to the limited mammoth step that was found in Northern America, a biome that was once the Earth's most abundant, but is now pretty rare. And even when you disregard this icon, as well as a Columbian from the pool, the U.S. still had more tusks to offer, as there was actually a third proboscidian, the American Mastodon.

Despite its familiar looks, this large animal is not a mammoth, nor elephant, instead being a, well, mastodon, a lesser-known group of proboscideans, characterized by their stocky builds, long tails, and lower domed schools that almost make them appear as primitive elephants. Like their fellow tusco-inhabitants, the American mastodon was among the largest animals of the land, albeit it was a bit smaller than the Colombian mammoth when it came to height, as it was something of a short king. But with that said, because of its stocky build, they were remarkably hefty for their height, with individuals ranging from 9 to 11 tons. In fact, their robustness might have been so much

that a mastodon the same height as modern elephant could still be 80% heavier, nearly double. And so unsurprisingly, this density plus its shorter, but very thick tusks, turned the mastodon to a heavy tank, which was very successful, as it expanded far across the region, especially in the east,

while the Colombian mammoth was more abundant in the west, and then the woolly mammoth was, like I said, more common in the north, well, pretty much only found in the north. Together, these three creatures were like the bush elephants of today. In other words, pillars of their environments. I mean, if you so much to see an image of an African elephant, you immediately can picture the savannas. However, as we all know, it's not just the largest animals around that create the magic.

As in Africa, you cannot forget the other iconic herbivores, like rhinos, giraffes, or zebras. In other words, those diverse large ungulates, or hoofed animals, that pepper the lands. And similarly, in Ice Age America, you also had a bunch of megafaunal hoofed animals that grazed in of their own, spice. Now, part of this includes kinds of animals that you can still see in the Great Plains, such as a trove of Servidae, which are also known as the true dears, and includes moose and elk. But compared to now, the diversity of this group back then was far, far higher, with not only multiple species being found as singular environments, but also much larger species. And this included the stag moose, a moose-sized deer with an elk's head, and the American

mountain deer, which on the outside looked a lot like any old white-tailed deer, but it was much bigger, being more than double the size. And sure, deer are kinded to be expected in the U.S., but another group that might be a surprise to find here was the Equidae. Just like Africa and the zebras, I stage America their own equine too, which might sound a bit impossible at first, as you may have heard the story of Europeans introducing the Native Americans to horses. And while that is correct, it is a bit ironic as well, as it was in North America that the horse family first evolved, almost 55.8 million years ago at that. And though they would eventually die out towards the end of the Pleistocene, they were still kicking for now, pun intended.

And quite powerfully, so to speak, at that, as at least five different species resided in the area, including the Yukon Horse and the Hagerman's Horse, also known as America's Zebra, as it too had an array of distinct stripes along his body. And crazy enough, researchers have also found horse teeth in the area that are even larger than those seen in the biggest draft horses, who themselves are already the biggest horse in the world, meaning that Ice Age America was potentially home to an extinct giant horse that it was the largest to ever live. It might have routinely weighed up to an estimated 1.5 tons.

In other words, a horse that outweighed most giraffes, and by a fair margin of that. And so, a big horse like that would have been quite the sight and obviously a tough cookie to bring down. I mean, imagine being kicked by one of those. And yet, at the same time, I'd argue that when it came to toughness, it was still bested by another group, one who would continue to exist in the area up until today with no interruption. And that would be the bovinae. In certain parts of the U.S. today, you will still find these guys represented by one of America's most iconic and recognizable animals, the American bison, a large species that is the current largest herbivore in North America. Given its size and striking appearance, this beautiful animal has also been a huge part of America's past.

But what's interesting about it is that, in reality, it did not exist during the last glacial maximum, at least not how we know them today, as modern American bison only evolved about 11,000 years ago. but its ancestral forms, they were around, including one known as the Bison Antichus. This was actually one of the most common herbivores at the time and the direct ancestor of the modern bison, having been quite similar in build, yet being considerably larger, and having had a less domed head and longer limbs. And given what a modern bison is capable of, I would definitely not want to be on the receiving end of this thing's horns. And somehow even this wasn't the final form, as you also had the giant bison, or the bison latifrons,

one of the largest ruminants to ever evolve, period. This animal even dwarfed the Cape and African buffalo, with individuals being up to 50% larger, and massive males potentially weighing two tons. And so as you could probably guess, given its size, these guys had wickedly giant horns, that tip-to-tip were longer than most NBA players and more than double the length of the horns of modern bison.

Now, don't get me a wrong, a giant bison would be pretty surreal to see, but there were other herbivores that were far stranger. And one of these groups wasn't necessarily strange because of what they are, but rather for the fact that they were in America, period, during the Ice Age. And that would be camels. Yes, you heard that right. The group we typically associate with deserts was in America during the Ice Age. And just like the horses, they actually evolved in North America too.

And of the genera that existed, the most common and best-known genius was by far, the camelops, which lived along the West Coast and the Great Plains. It was a relatively large camel, and is quite similar to a living dromedary camel when it came to size, general appearance, and niche, with it predominantly having been a browser that could be found in a range of different climates. Although, while it did share these similarities, the camelops could have been quite different when it came to the humps, as we don't know if it had one, or was humpless, which would make for quite a odd sight, considering, you know, as a camel. Now, funny enough, this story of having North American origins, but no longer being there, seems to be somewhat of a common trend, as the same situation was seen in an animal that we definitely do not associate with the U.S. anymore. and that would be tapers, which during the last glacial maximum,

were still found in the southern and eastern regions of the country. And I think such a wide range of herbivores really just goes to show how bountiful the area was. And many of them weren't just existing, they were thriving at this point. However, with that said, living in Ice Age America did come at a cost, as this large amount of megafauna attracted many, and I do mean many, predators, that make those of Africa look tame. Ironically, though, and probably not surprising if you know anything about Ice Age America, one of the most domineering groups were the same kings that are currently found in Africa,

which would be the cats. This included cougars, oscelots, bobcats, and lynxes, which are still living, but they knew also had now extinct felines that were much more deadly, such as the American lion, or panthera atrox, whose name literally means the cruel panther. Likely being an offshoot of the cave lion, this apex predator was not only amongst the largest predators around, but was also one of, if not the largest cat to ever live.

with exceptional specimens weighing up to 457 kilos or 1,000 pounds, and in general they're about 25% larger than the modern lion. And so when you take this into consideration, this combination obviously resulted in a pretty mean skull and pair of jaws, as well as titanic forelimbs that allowed it to grapple with powerful prey, which included even small mammoths. When you're a mid-sized business, you need every competitive advantage you can get, like an AI solution that works for you, not against you.

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Yet, this has never been fully confirmed, and I do hope for the sake of the other living animals around it, that, uh, they weren't. As encountering an American lion, let alone a group of American lions, would have been a guaranteed ticket to their dinner table. And the same can also be said for another apex predator, that it was also the American lion's rival, the saber-toothed cats. For millions of years, these philas had dominated the U.S. and terrorized their inhabitants. But following a drop in world temperatures, they had found themselves on their back feet, or rather pause, as a climate shift led to a decrease in their preferred environment, and causing prey to become extinct in some cases.

And because of this, during the last glacial maximum, there was only one saber-toothed predator left in America, the Smilodon. Yet, with that said, of all the saber-teethed that could have been left behind, this was one of the more deadly options, as it was a massive carnivore about the same size as the modern lion or tiger, but was far more heavily built, resulting in the larger species of Smilodon, weighing up to 280 kilos or 620 pounds, despite being less long compared to a lion or tiger. And yes, this did mean that in America at least, it was not as big as the American lion. Yet, where it lagged in size, it made up foreign limbs and dentition. As for starters, its limb thickness was so profuse that it might have been capable of bearing greater loads than even the American lion.

despite being smaller, while then its dental differences were, um, quite blatant to say the least. Would this beast equipping two giant saber-like teeth that allowed it to easily kill prey many times its size by sinking them deep within, causing catastrophic injuries to soft tissue and major organs? And their design was so good at puncturing, that they were likely able to kill prey much faster than a modern lion or a tiger. And while some people might argue about the semantics of which of these large cats were deadlier, the Smilodon or American Lion, I feel like running into either of them would definitely be a lose-lose situation, as both of them were obviously ultimately Apex Predators.

And at least I personally would much rather have dealt with another cat than these two, although it still would not guarantee any safety. And this pick might sound a little bit odd, considering the context, and that would be the Cheetah. Although for full transparency, this wasn't just any old Cheetah, this was the American Cheetah, go figure, or the Myrasononics. Now, despite its name, paleontologists have deduced that it was actually not a cheetah, rather a completely severed genus who just happened to look a whole

lot like our spotted friend. And this likeness mainly boils down to similar limb proportions, face and size, with the microcyonics only being somewhat larger at around 150 pounds on average and 95 kilos or 209 pounds at the max. And because of these similarities, it was originally believed that the two were a result of parallel evolution and that the American cheetah operated a lot like extant cheetahs, in other words, using immense speed to chase down prey. However, we now know this probably was not the case, as it retained its retractable claws and was able to supinate its forelimbs, which thus would have hampered its ability to run fast. And so it is now thought to have been more compatible in lifestyle to modern kookers instead of a cheetah. So in the whole witch cat would you rather meet, I'm still taking this guy, but, uh, the odds aren't looking great.

And regardless, there is no doubt that large cats ruled a country at the time. But their reigns did not come without competition, as just like now, Ice Age America was home to bears, except, um, these, These bears have been drinking some of that special sauce. You see, you have the usuals like the brown and black bears, but you also had a group that only exists today in one species. The short-faced bears, a subfamily of ursids that were known for growing into giants and for their shortened deep faces designed to support a monstrous bite force and wide nasal passages.

Now in the States, the short-faced call in the shots during the LGM was the Archidus, also known as the lesser short-faced bear. But do not let that name fool you, as it was this bear who was the region that the region that largest predator period. The males and females were highly sexually dimorphic, but both were huge, with the females already being on par with weight for it, polar bears, whereas the males could then stand at 3.4 meters or 11 feet tall while on their rear legs and weight a monstrous 95 kilos or 2,090 pounds, with hypothetical maximums even suggesting 1.2 tons, which is obviously greater than the heaviest bears on record today. Unsurprisingly, this size combined with its massive limbs,

and paws allowed these bears to tackle numerous large animals, with some studies suggesting that deer, camelids, and tapers were all frequent targets. Yet, unlike the cats, meat wasn't the only thing fearing this predator, as the archididus was actually an omnivore, much like modern bears, who probably ate significant amount of vegetation in the form of leaf matter and fruits. However, because of its massive size, some reckon that they would be forced in part to hunt no matter what in order to reach their caloric needs. And as it so happens, it's sides would have also played a very useful hand in competition with other predators, as it's believed that one way the short-faced bear obtained its meat was through stealing carcasses

from others through sheer intimidation. And this tactic likely mirrored what seen today in bears and wolves, with the former sealing carcasses far more often than the latter. And speaking of our furry best friends, i.e. wolves, or rather canids, they were obviously a major part of the ecosystem as well, and in fact were much more plentiful and widespread, with a gray wolf alone, for example, being found in the majority of states, even extending down to Mexico. Although breaking away from the trend that we see in the other animals, size wasn't really on their side, so to speak, at least relatively. But despite that,

the candidates were still able to compete efficiently with the various predators around them, which is reflected by the fact that in most formations, they are often amongst the most common predators. Yet, with that said, we do see that it was really one of them in particular that seemed to be kicking butt, and that would of course be another icon of the Ice Age. And if you can't guess, Here's the hint. Winter is coming. So yes, I am talking about the dire wolf, also known as Aeasian Dyrus. A bit like the American Cheetah, dire wolves, despite their name, are not really wolves, rather being a separate genus that belonged to the sub-tribe, Canina, which is composed of wolf-like canids.

And opposite to what Game of Thrones may have you believe, dire wolves did not actually look like modern wolves either, because while they were recognizable canids, they did differ from true wolves in a few ways. For starters, they were quite a bit larger, so they did get that right, being about 25% heavier than your average grey wolf, while sporting a more muscular build, compact limbs, and a much broader head that is believed to have given them a far stronger bite than greywolves, not only allowing them to hunt larger animals, but perhaps even giving them the ability to crush bones, just like a hyena. And this was obviously important given just how huge many of the animals in these parts were. But the bite also helped in dealing with armor, which you definitely did have to account for, is one of the strangest mammals to ever exist.

called this place home. Now, if you had watched one of my older videos that discussed the Great American Interchange, then you would know that a few million years prior to the last glacial maximum, North and South America had recently linked up, and while most of the animals that migrated north from South America failed to set up any roots in this apparently crazy place, a couple did, including what became North America's answer to Africa's pangolans, armadillos. Equipped with their fairly broad diets and hardened shells, these tough critters managed to spread through major parts of the U.S., and to reach

level of diversity not seen since, with multiple types and families coexisting, and amongst them even included the largest armadillo to ever live, the glyphtodons. Though South America remained their stronghold, a couple managed to sneak up into the north, namely the glyptitharium. Now, compared to some of the other animals, it would have been a rare sight, as it stuck mainly to the southern states. But boy oh boy, would it have been a sight to see, as it puts even the living giant armadillo to shame, with this animal being more comparable to a bearer than any extent. stand Armadillo. And based off of remains, it appears that individuals could have weighed up to 400 kilos or 880 pounds, with a lot of this having to do with its extensive carapace and head armor

that helped keep it safe from attackers. Now, unlike the South American do Dickerous, the glypt Ethereum did not have any tail weapon as far as we know. But, I mean, when you're that size and rocking such extensive armor, which included on top of the tail as well, you probably don't really need much offense. And though it was an armadillo, it did live in a very different way than we'd expect. As like the other megafaunal herbivores, it was a grazing animal that fed on riparian herbs. So in other words, it was basically mammalian and chalosaur. And adding on to this guy was another gift from the south, which also went against the grain of what you're used to. And that was sloths. However, the sloth during the ice age were nothing like those you see, in north or central

or South America now, as they were not tree sloths, but rather ground sloths. And perhaps surprisingly at this point, despite their differences, they were still indeed sloths in every sense and are considered paraphyletic groups, with the idea being that tree sloths evolved from the ground sloths' ancestors. And as alluded to, this group's origin was South America, and like the Armadillos, had been part of the quote-unquote exchange program during the biotic interchange. Additionally, they too are quite the unique case, as for the most part, large herbivores from the south struggled in North America due to intense competition, amongst some other factors. And if you're interested in said factors, go watch our video on that. Yet the ground sloths were able to

persist, mainly because these guys were a whole lot tougher than their modern relatives. And this pretty much boils down to the fact that they were in some ways closer to elephants than any sloth alive today, having evolved to be massive bodied creatures that grazed and could also browse high up, using giant powerful arms and claws to manipulate their environment. And as far as we can tell, there were at least three different ground sloths roaming around the states during the last glacial maximum. The megalonics, arymythyrium, and megatherium. Now, the megalonics was the smallest of the trifecta, but that doesn't really mean anything, since individuals were already as big as a medium-sized walrus, which just goes to show you how much crazier it got with a remotherium and megatherium,

who were both about the size of a, wait for it, Asian elephant. Yeah, a sloth the size of an elephant. With the two weighing four tons, and in the case of the rheumatherium, it was able to grow even a little bit larger than this, with some specimens weighing in at 4.5 tons. Furthermore, each was about 6 meters or 20 feet long, which let them essentially become great giant pillars whenever they wanted to, as the construction of their hind limbs suggest they could adopt a bipedal stance to access high-up food, or just to make themselves appear even larger than what they were, such as in order to ward off predators. And if somehow that didn't work, they can always fall back to plan B, and that would be their monster claws, which are believed to have doubled as defensive

weapons. And while we do not have any direct evidence which shows how deadly getting struck by one of these would be, I do think it would be pretty bad considering that we do have evidence that they could burrow through freaking rocks. So yeah, elephant-sized sloths is just one more good example of why Ice Age America was absolutely bonkers. But you can't forget that there were still plenty more countless number of creatures roaming about, which included prehistoric skunks, bats, the giant beaver, casteroides, and then even the larger mixotoxidon, who was also the only known no-to-ungulet to have migrated out of South America, and basically looked a lot like a giant four-toned rhino, just without the horn. Although, before you rev up your tie machine, I should warn you

that this odd creature seems to have only made it to Texas, and naturally because there are no noto-ungulets left in Texas, you can safely assume that its kind ultimately died out, as did many of the other animals, which thus begs the question of, why? After all, while it might seemed long ago, 20-some thousand years ago is basically a blink of an eye in geology, and researchers have long been interested in the megafauna's extinction within North America. And at least a part of it has to do with one of the most recent newcomers during the last glacial maximum. And that would, of course, be us. Yeah, it was around this time that humans first entered North America, having crossed over from Asia to the Bering Land Bridge. And these humans, now known as paleo-indians, were extremely adept

to hunter-gatherers who already had immense experience in hunting big game in Asia. And thus, of course, they had a field day in North America. And the evidence certainly backs it up, with there being direct sides of butchery and hunting of mammoths, mastodons, horses, bison, bears, camels, and more. One of the more prominent cultures to arise from the paleo-indians was the Clovis culture, which is well known for its fluted-style spearpoints, microblades, and various projectile weapons that supercharged their hunting ability. And so this not only hampered herbivore populations, but also hurt the predators through unwinnable competition, leading to declines across the board. Yet with that said, researchers no longer think that it was just us responsible

for the megafaunal extinction, with the current belief being that North America's giants experience a double tap, so to speak, with a second sneak attack coming from Mother Nature herself. Now, we don't understand perfectly what kind of climate changes really took their toll, but the demise of many of these giants does eerily coincide with a younger dryass, a period of time that was marked by an abrupt cooling episode in the Northern Hemisphere, while then also being followed by dramatic warming. In this one, would have had major ramifications on the environment, putting a strain not only on the animals, but also a strain on this animal, in other words, humans, which might have prompted them to hunt

even more and thus furthering the carnage. However, like many hypotheses, there are some who still disagree with this take, but there is certainly one thing that is, well, for a certain, and that is North America of today has nothing on its past. Thanks for watching, and until next time on Extinct Zoo. Hey y'all, it's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder what if? Like, what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair.

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