Climate change and human activity caused the extinction of some Ice-Age animals, such as the woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth and wild horses, and the near extinction of others including reindeer, bison and musk ox, says an international study.
The scientists say their study, published in the journal Nature, is the first to combine genetic, archaeological and climatic data to track the population history of six large Ice-Age mammals and can shed light on the possible fates of today's animals as the Earth continues its current warming cycle.
"Although these cold-adapted animals certainly fared better during the colder, glacial periods, they still managed to find places where the climate was just right . refugia . so that they could survive during the warmer, interglacial periods. Then, after the peak of the last ice age around 20,000 years ago, their luck started to run out," co-author Beth Shapiro, a biology professor at Penn State University, said in announcing the findings.
