Woolly mammoths and giant ground sloths are just a few of the strange animals that once roamed Earth, living on every habitable continent. But about 50,000 years ago, these “megafauna” began to disappear. What factors contributed to their disappearance? Why did some species survive while others did not? Ross MacPhee, curator in the Museum’s Department of Mammalogy, takes us on a journey back in time to the world of now-extinct megafauna, and explains what scientists think may have happened.
Watch the video version of this SciCafe here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGYJgYZrMcE
This SciCafe took place at the Museum on December 5, 2018.
Subscribe to the Science@AMNH Podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts.
For information about upcoming events at the Museum, visit
amnh.org/calendar.