Pleistocene Epoch
2.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago
The Pleistocene is the age of the Ice Ages. Glaciers advanced and retreated repeatedly, reshaping continents and driving animal populations into new patterns. Woolly mammoths, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, and cave bears shared the world with early modern humans.
Fun Facts
- âThere were at least 20 glacial cycles during the Pleistocene, with ice sheets advancing and retreating repeatedly.
- âWoolly mammoths survived until about 4,000 years ago on isolated islands, long after the rest went extinct.
- âThe Pleistocene ended about 11,700 years ago with the warming that followed the last glacial maximum.
- âEarly modern humans migrated out of Africa during the Pleistocene, colonizing every continent except Antarctica.
- âA combination of climate change and human hunting likely drove the ice age megafauna to extinction.