What's Your Favorite Ice Age Era Mammal?

[BigVrunga]

A lot of people dont give a lot of thought about the Ice Age (aka. The Pleistocene Epoch) anymore, at least since childhood anyway. I figured, with the increasing reality of global warming and melting polar ice caps, we'd take a trip down memory lane in preparation for the inevitable return of the megafauna.

Wooly Mammoth/American Mastodon (Mammuthus Primigenius )

Wooly Rhino(Coelodonta Antiquitatis)

Giant Unicorn (Elasmotherium)

Giant Ground Sloth (Megatherium)

Sabre Tooth Tiger/Lion (Smilodon)

Dire Wolf (Canis dirus)

Glyptodon (Giant Armadillo)

Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus)

Neanderthal Man(Homo neanderthalensis)

 

[bioman]

I like Rhinos..both past and current species.

I bet Irish elk and mammoth are tasty though. Here's to hunting in the next epoch!

 

[Mulletsoldier]

As if there is a contest, Wooly Mother****ing Mammoth

 

[BigVrunga]

I like Rhinos..both past and current species.

Yeah I'm a big Rhino fan myself. I actually saw a real Rhino for the first time the other day - massive, massive creatures.

BV

 

[BigVrunga]

Damn! Forgot to add the Short Faced Bear:

About 2' taller and longer than a polar bear...lived in North America and hunted early man...

This is a pic of the short face, next to a polar bear ( middle), and a grizzly (front):

BV

 

[bioman]

There were lots of badass predators back then. Giant hyenas, bears that ran in packs like wolves*shudder* and let's not forget the axebeaks and other giant bird that could disembowel a man in one peck.

 

[BigVrunga]

You ever see "Walking With Prehistoric Beasts?" - just wild what's been on the Earth so far. Also amazing how a small hairless primate became the dominant species on the planet without much in the way of natural artillery.

BV

 

[bioman]

We're tricky.

It's tricky to hunt this way
to forage this way
It's tricky, tricky!

 

[BigVrunga]

We're tricky.

It's tricky to hunt this way
to forage this way
It's tricky, tricky!

That will work, until a Rhino evolves that can fart nuclear fire

 

[danTman2]

the sloth thing looks cool

 

[Jayhawkk]

Dire wolf all the way!

 

[BigVrunga]

the sloth thing looks cool

I saw skeletons/models of all these animals at the Natural History museum in NYC. Just amazing...That sloth is HUGE!

Dire wolf all the way!

Dire Wolf was bad ass! Like 50% bigger than a modern wolf with a smaller brain! He was a meathead canine

 

[bosco]

i'm a fan of the wolf and saber tooth tiger/lion. but they're all unique in their own aspect. the short-faced bear sounds like a beast of an animal.

 

[BigVrunga]

i'm a fan of the wolf and saber tooth tiger/lion. but they're all unique in their own aspect. the short-faced bear sounds like a beast of an animal.

I think the Short Faced bear was one of the primary fuels for nightmares of early man...look at the legs on that thing - it could run fast.

 

[BigVrunga]

Another interesting fact:

Researchers have hypothesized that the Elasmotherium (Giant Unicorn) could actually be the basis for the unicorn legend. While definitely not too horse-like - it was the size of a rhinoceros and is actually the forefather of the one-horned rhinos of today - there are many legends about 'giant black one horned horses' that would track horse-riding men down, kill the man and leave the horse alive.

Elasmotherium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clearly, Elasmotherium, like its cousin the Wooly Rhino, aint no joke.

BV

 

[Jayhawkk]

I'm the only person who likes the Dire Wolf? ****in crazy people 'round here!

 

[BigVrunga]

The Dire Wolf is badass,but I dont see no 6ft horn on his head. Wooly Rhino 4-Eva beeatches!!

BV

 

[idunk42]

I would love to shoot every single one of these animals, so I can give you a favorite kill BigV.

 

[BigVrunga]

I would love to shoot every single one of these animals, so I can give you a favorite kill BigV.

Why...why would you say that Idunk??

 

[idunk42]

Oh my bad, when I said shoot, I meant to say snuggle up next to.

 

[Jayhawkk]

Back of dire wolves would own that sumo-unicorn

 

[BigVrunga]

Back of dire wolves would own that sumo-unicorn

I dont know about that man...the DireWolf was bigger than the modern Grey Wolf, but not by much. Elasmotherium was the size of a modern day elephant...a pack of lions can't take down an elephant.

Now against a pack of short-faced bears, Elasmotherium might have some trouble

Elasmotherium:
Elasmotherium - QuickSeek Encyclopedia

Dire Wolf:
Dire Wolf Canis dirus - Wolf Source

if you look at typical modern wolf behavior:

Each pack was fed once each week to week and one-half. Wolves in the wild survive on a "feast and famine" type diet and do not eat everyday. We have recorded wolves going 14 days without a meal with no ill effects. A typical pack of six in the wild will consume on average 800 pounds of meat per month. In Yellowstone that would average out to two adult elk and maybe a small deer.

When wolves do make a kill, each wolf will consume on average of 21 to 32 pounds of meat. Meat drunk, the wolves then stagger off a short distance and lay down to digest that massive amount of meat protein. The pack then returns to the kill off an on until the carcass has been cleaned.

A pack of 6 DireWolfs might have totaled 700-800lbs tops, while Elasmotherium weighed in at a staggering 5+ TONS. There's no way one Dire Wolf pack would have even attempted to go up against the Giant Unicorn, especially when there was plenty of Irish Elk to go around

BV

 

[BigVrunga]

There were lots of badass predators back then. Giant hyenas, bears that ran in packs like wolves*shudder* and let's not forget the axebeaks and other giant bird that could disembowel a man in one peck.

And we're talking about the IceAge mammals of North American and Europe here...Ive read about some of the freaky beasts that lived in Australia and it was pretty horriffic. Large carniverous kangaroos, a giant lizard the size of a dragon...strange stuff!

 

[UHCougar05]

I'm the only person who likes the Dire Wolf? ****in crazy people 'round here!

I'm with ya Jay. The Dire Wolf sounds pretty damn cool.

 

[OCCFan023]

wolves past and present have this cool thing about them, hands down the dire wolf (and his name is bad ass too so)

 

[BigVrunga]

Yeah, 'Dire Wolf' sounds like something out of a dark fairy tale...