Predators
Wherever remains are found of the large herbivores of the mammoth steppe, remains are also found of large predators such as bears, wolves, lions and hyenas. Predator fossils are rare, though. Teeth of predators are easy to recognize because they are adapted for tearing flesh. Skeletal parts are much more difficult to recognize. However, evidence […]
Cave bear
The cave bear was mostly found in the mountains of Central Europe. Their relatively abundant fossils indicate that they were a common inhabitant. The bears, used the caves for hibernation and many animals, died there. Some caves have been completely filled with their remains. For example, over 30.000 bears have died in the Drachenhohle in […]
Saber-toothed cat
The saber-toothed cat was undoubtedly the king of the mammoth steppe. This top predator of the mammoth steppe was extremely rare, considering the scarcity of its remains. A date from a lower jaw, recovered from the North Sea bed, revealed that it lived here until at least 28.000 years ago. This finding inspired the Rotterdam […]
Skull of a cave or steppe lion
The complete skull of a cave or steppe lion. this skull was found in the permafrost in Jakoetie, Russia, in arctic sibieria. fossilized remains of this extinct ice-age “cat” were first found in germany and central europe but the cave lion also lived in what is now russia and north america. this skull, that was […]
Woolly rhinoceros
Woolly rhinoceroses are one of the regular cast of characters on the ice age landsape. The mammothsteppe from the Late Pleistocene (100.000-20.000 years ago) was their home, and their remains are almost always found together with those of the woolly mammoth. This was Often by fishermen fishing in the North Sea. Unfortunately, this species of […]