When did Stegomastodon go extinct?
When did Stegomastodon go extinct?
Given that it survived until shortly after the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago, it’s almost certain that Stegomastodon was preyed on by the indigenous human tribes of South America—which, along with inexorable climate change, drove this pachyderm to complete extinction.
How old is gomphotheres?
In addition, gomphothere remains have been found in association with early human settlements, such as those dated to approximately 12,000 years ago at the El Fin del Mundo site in Mexico and 13,000 years ago at the Monte Verde site in Chile.
Why did the Gomphothere go extinct?
Possible causes for extinction This dietary evolution may have been one of the factors that contributed to the disappearance of South American gomphotheres at the end of the Pleistocene. Climatic change and human predation have also been discussed as possible causes of the extinction.
Where did the stegomastodon live?
It ranged throughout North America. The genus lived in North America from the Zanclean of the Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene. The most recent specimens in the fossil record originate from Jalisco, Mexico and date to 28,000 BP, but this late date is over 1 million years after the last confirmed specimens.
What do Stegodons eat?
Elephas (left) incoporates more graze in its diet; whereas Stegodon (right) is an obligate browser of fresh shoots and leaves.
Did four tusked elephants exist?
On a ranch in northwestern Sonora, Mexico, archaeologists have discovered 13,400-year-old weapons mingled with bones from an extinct elephant relative called the gomphothere. The animal was smaller than mastodons and mammoths, but most had four sharp tusks for defense.
Did South America ever have elephants?
Elephants are not indigenous to South America. While South America was believed to be attached to Africa some 140 million years ago, Proboscidea (the taxonomic order that elephants belong to) did not evolve until about 50 million years ago in Africa.
What fossils were found in Nebraska?
Proboscidean fossils, mammoths and mastodons have been found in 90 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Nebraska was an inland sea when dinosaurs roamed the world. Mammals ruled the planet when Nebraska became terrestrial.
Why did Stegodons go extinct?
Extinction of the Late Pleistocene stegodon on Flores is hypothesised to have occurred as a result of a volcanic eruption (Van den Bergh et al., 2009) as stegodon material is found below a volcanic layer dated to ca. 17 ka, but is entirely absent above it.
Does Stegodon still exist?
In the past, stegodonts were believed to be the ancestors of the true elephants and mammoths, but currently they are believed to have no modern descendants. Stegodon may be derived from Stegolophodon, an extinct genus known from the Miocene of Asia.
