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Megafauna You May Never Have Heard of That Went Extinct

Unique Mammals You Didn't Know Existed

By Alexis RunyonPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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The Younger Dryas Impact lead to a rapid climate increase caused by, what scientists and historian claim, was a comet from the Milky Way. This comet entered Earth's atmosphere 12,800 years ago during an ice age. The heat the comet brought by burning up while soaring through the sky lead to the evaporation of water and melting of ice. This caused heavy rainfall for many days. Sea levels rose by 28 meters. Lots of land was covered by the ocean. As expected, this killed off mammals' food supplies.

This isn't the only way that spectacular megafauna were killed. Archeologists have uncovered preserved bodies of mammoths that didn't die of starvation. In fact, some of these animals still had food in their mouths and throats. Upon further examination, scientists revealed that the legs of these preserved corpses had been snapped. The original theory for the extinction of mammoths was that poachers had hunted every last one of them, but now the evidence seemed to suggest something else; something much larger.

This comet that hit earth was 60 miles wide. The impact was cataclysmic. It produced a heat wave so powerful that it seemed to explode in all ways. The mammoths' legs appeared to be snapped because of impact. They had fallen over but were deceased before they hit the ground.

This is just one example of a species of megafauna that went extinct due to this event in history. Here is a list of four of the many others.

Homotherium (Supercat)

Artist Rendition

The Homotherium resembles a mountain lion and/or panther. It was close to 4' tall with unique fur patterns and large canine teeth. It had a stubby tail and was carnivorous. In my opinion, it was a cutie—but I'm glad it isn't around today.

Dire Wolf

Artist Rendition

The dire wolf was humongous, the largest wolf on record. It originated from North America and weighed in at 150 pounds. It was 5' tall at its back and had teeth the size of a human thumb. The dire wolf is thought of, today, as myth. It can be seen making an appearance in video games and cartoons, but it once walked the earth in reality.

Mastodon

Artist Rendition

The Mastodon looks similar to an elephant, but is also a relative of the wooly mammoth. Female Mastodon reached a height of 7'7" at the shoulder while males reached 9'2". They weighed between four to six tons. Unlike elephants of today, they had a coat of fur all over them and a flatter skull with a sort of hump back/spine.

Glyptodon

Artist Rendition

The Glyptodon was a rare species that seemed to be a sort of mix between a dinosaur and an armadillo. It has been depicted in cartoons, such as the Ice Age movies, but is a mystery of its own. It had a large, turtle-like shell that protected it, although it could not retreat inside of the shelling. It has been confirmed that the Glyptodon was 11' tall and weighed two tons.

All of these Megafauna were impacted in some way by the Younger Dryas Impact. The climate change either wiped them out completely, or they dwindled down because their food supply had been tampered with. It is frightening to think that these animals existed at one time, what if they were roaming free today? Would things be different between humans and wild life?

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wild animals
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About the Creator

Alexis Runyon

Young author who strives only to make the world a better place and build the confidence of individuals

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