How extinction of giant ice age beasts could still affect food chains
The extinction of large ice age mammals such as mammoths and saber-toothed cats thousands of years ago continues to influence modern food webs, according to new research. Scientists analyzed predator-prey relationships across tropical and subtropical regions to understand how ancient biodiversity loss reshaped ecosystems. The findings may help predict the long-term ecological impacts of current species extinctions.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
NewsScienceHow extinction of giant ice age beasts could still affect food chainsLoss of species including mammoths, saber-tooth cats and direwolves has had long-lasting impacts and could tell us how biodiversity loss today could shape the natural worldHarry Cockburn Wednesday 29 April 2026 09:40 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2966654","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/extinction-ice-age-woolly-mammoth-megafauna-study-b2966654.html","title":"How extinction of giant ice age beasts could still affect food…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Independent.