Pleistocene

The Pleistocene Epoch is part of the geologic timescale, usually dated as 1.8-1.6 million to 10,000 years before present, with the end date expressed in radiocarbon years. It covers most of the latest period of repeated glaciation, up to and including the Younger Dryas cold. The end of the Younger Dryas has been dated to about 9600 BC (11550 calendar years BP).

Pleistocene fauna

There are no faunal stages defined for the Pleistocene or Holocene. Both marine and continental faunas were essentially modern. It is believed by most scientists that humans evolved into modern man during the Pleistocene. Major extinctions of large mammals, including mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats, glyptodons and Ground sloths, started late in the Pleistocene and continued into the Holocene. The extinctions were especially severe in North America where native horses and camels were eliminated.

Related Topics:
Faunal stage - Human - Extinction - Mammal - Mammoth - Mastodon - Saber-toothed cats - Glyptodon - Ground sloth - North America - Horse - Camel

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