Ice Age Animals

2/27/21

Have you ever watched the movie Ice Age? Many characters are real life animals that once lived in the real Ice age. Today I am going to talk about 5 animals that lived in the Ice Age.

1. Irish Elk

The Irish Elk, despite having “Elk” in its name, is not an Elk nor is it Irish. The Irish Elk lived about 11,000 years ago in nowadays Eurasia and Africa. It dined on grass and other plant life. Its main predators included Smilodons and Dire wolves. When you look at an Irish Elk, the first thing you will notice is those giant antlers. The largest ones grew to 12ft! Scientists think that the antlers may have been used to fend off predators and attract females.

2 Glyptodon

Do you know what an armadillo looks like? If you do know, that means you know what a Glyptodon looks like! Well, kind of. A Glyptodon looks like an armadillo, but the only difference is that Glyptodon was the size of a car! Glyptodons lived in both North and South America. Glyptodon ate plants that grew close to the ground. Glyptodon’s main predators were Smilodons and Short-Face Bears. Glyptodon’s defense was its armored tail. Glyptodon could swing its tail to clobber an attacker.

3 Megatherium

Megatherium was the second largest land mammal that ever lived. It grew up to 20ft long! It lived in North and South America. It ate plant life and lichen (a plant material that grows on crusty surfaces). It could reach even the highest branches thanks to its super long tongue. Megatherium’s main predators were Dire Wolves and Short-Face bears. Megatherium’s defense was its giant size and sharp claws. Just one swipe could cause serious damage.

4 Wooly Mammoth

Wooly Mammoths were giants among Ice Age animals. They could have a shoulder height of approximately 11ft! Wooly Mammoths ate shrubs and small grasses. Wooly Mammoths lived in North and South America which is where its only predator Smilodon lived. Wooly Mammoth’s defense was strength in numbers, huge size, and long tusks.

5 Smilodon

Smilodon was a carnivore that had two massive canines that it used for stabbing its prey. It lived in Eurasia, Africa, South America, and North America. Smilodon was an apex predator. That meant that it ate all kinds of animals from mammoths to ground sloths. Smilodon could open its mouth to an astonishing 120 degrees so that it eat food without having its canines blocking its mouth. Its canines were very weak and would break easily and if they did break, they would not grow back.

There were many animals that lived during the Ice Age that these five only scratch the surface. If you’re interested in this topic, you should search more about it on the web!