Ice Age Giants Trivia Quiz

Answer: Giant ground sloth

The ground sloth walked on four legs and was roughly the size of today's elephant. However, to reach the leaves on trees, which formed the majority of its diet, it stood on its two hind legs and used its tail for support. Its large paws and claws were used for gathering the leaves, fending off attackers, and digging for plants. Fossils of this animal have been found in the Americas where they evolved in South America and migrated north over the years.

Some of the fossils show scars on the bones of these animals making scientists wonder if they were a food source for Homo sapiens.

Answer: Armadillo

Glyptodon began its evolution in South America over two million years ago. They were covered with a series of bony scales that each was an inch think. Over 1,000 of these scales created an armored covering that the animal could tuck into for protection against enemies.

They had an armored tail and thick, muscular legs to support all the weight. The strong jaws they had helped them eat some of the tougher plants of the area. Their major predator, Homo sapiens, hunted them not only for their meat in the underbelly but utilized the hard, large covering as shelter.

Answer: Smilodon

Smilodon, although called a saber toothed tiger, is actually more closely related to today's lion or cheetah. It was not a fast runner but had extremely powerful front legs that allowed it to swiftly pounce or to leap from low hanging tree branches. It could open its mouth an amazing 120 degrees wide to accommodate its huge, razor sharp canines with which it pierced its prey or scavenged on tough carcasses. Fossils of these extinct hunters have been found in tar pits across North America and have allowed scientists to gain better understanding of life in the Ice Age.

Answer: Bird

Teratornis was the largest known flying bird. It had a ten foot wingspan as it soared through the South American skies. It was built similarly to the modern condor or vulture. Although it probably feasted on dead animals, it also used its large beak and claws to scoop up and eat smaller live prey.

Its large size makes scientists believe that it started flight from the mountains and floated on wind currents to begin its journey to find food.

Answer: True

The wooly mammoth, or Mammuthus primigenius, is sometimes thought of as being bigger than today's average elephant but it was actually similar in size. It stood about 13 feet tall and weighed around six tons. It boasted long hair to help withstand the cold and very long tusks which it used to both fight and to dig under the snow for the plants it ate.

Its main predator during its life was the vicious saber tooth cat. The wooly mammoth went extinct but, due to the permafrost in much of its environment, it left behind almost fully intact fossils and corpses for scientists to study.

Answer: Wide tail

Castoroides is the largest rodent known to have lived in the Americas. During the Ice Age, this herbivore lived around water sources and ate mainly aquatic plants. Its fossils show that it had large hind feet to help propel it through the water, a flat but narrow tail, and big incisors.

However, these teeth are shaped differently than modern beavers and prove that it ate softer plants and probably did not cut wood and build dams. As the climate changes occurred toward the end of the Ice Age and impacted its habitat, the Castoroide became extinct before some of its fellow Ice Age animals.

Answer: Irish elk

Although it was called an Irish elk, it was actually of the deer family. Many of its fossils have been found in peat bogs in Ireland which helped attribute that part of its name. An herbivore, it ate grasses, tree leaves, and small plants. The males' unique characteristic were the huge, ornate antlers that were used to attract females and to fight opposing males.

Many theories exist as to the cause of this huge deer's extinction. Some studies say the size of the massive antlers became too much of a hindrance, while other scientists claim the climate change to the vegetation made the deer starve, and finally other groups claim they were hunted by predators such as Homo sapiens.

Answer: Its toes pointed forward

The short-faced bear had toes that pointed forward, as opposed to modern bears whose toes point inward. This enabled it to walk with a smooth gait and to potentially have speeds up to 40 miles per hour. It lived in the grasslands across much of the western areas of North America and fossils have been found in caves, leading scientists to conjecture that it had dens like today's bears. An omnivore, it hunted prey but also ate plants and insects in the area.

As the end of the Ice Age introduced competing predators, such as humans and brown bears, the giant short-faced bear became extinct as it starved.

Answer: False

The American lion, or Panthera atrox, looked very similar to today's African lion except for its large size and lack of any mane on either males or females. They stalked their prey, such as bison or young mammoths, and their long legs enabled them to be excellent runners in the chase.

This huge cat had razor sharp claws which were also retractable. It could utilize a bite force twice the strength of today's African lions! As other predators, such as Homo sapiens, began to hunt the American lion's prey this giant cat slowly became extinct toward the end of the Ice Age.

Answer: Savanna grassland

The Syrian camel lived in the Syrian area 90,000 years earlier than was originally thought. At the time, the land would have been savanna grasslands with multiple fresh water springs. The camel had a single hump and measured nine feet tall at its shoulder and an impressive twelve feet tall to its head. Found with human bones as well, it is believed that the Syrian camel was a food source for humans who hunted it while it came to drink at the springs.