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discoveries vol. 1
Giants of the
F R toms, ro
ck
South S
Ice Age
iver bot and
ie s , sin kholes,
ILLED WITH COLOR quarr th
T e x a s to Sou ABER-TOOTHED CATS,
om
photos and illustrations, Ice Age caves fr sure ch
ests dire wolves, mammoths, mastodons,
r e t r e a
aa
Giants of the South describes Carolin
Giants
sts
fo s s i ls . Scienti and giant sloths are just a few of
ge
some of the most important fossil of Ice A ctors the large animals that lived
discoveries from South Carolina am at eur colle
and bones a
nd during the Ice Ages, which began
c o v e r e d
to Texas. Readers learn how have un such 1.8 million years ago. Ten thousand
e x t in c t giants
paleontologists use fossil clues to f
teeth o oths, years ago, when a warming trend
s , mamm
of the
develop theories about prehistoric o d o n
as mast d brought the last Ice Age to an end,
animals and their habitats. o u n d sloths, an
giant gr e these extraordinary animals became
o t h e d cats. T h
saber-t o extinct. Fossils are the only clues
South
ant
JUDY CUTCHINS and GINNY r o v id e import
fossils p tists
to their lives and habitats.
JOHNSTON have co-authored nine h a t h e lp scien The southern United States is one
clues t y of
award-winning natural science books o g e t h er a stor of the best places in the world to
piece t ore
for young readers. They were honored li f e w a s like m find Ice Age fossils. Fossilized teeth
what o.
as Georgia Authors of the Year in
10 ,0 0 0 years ag and bones are found in a variety
than
Juvenile Literature in 1991. Both of locations. Some are found by
Cutchins
hold elementary education specialist divers searching river bottoms
degrees. Ms. Johnston is the or water-filled caves. Many are
STAR
BLACK
and
e
HULKE/
Johnston
U o
FLIP SC
Pineapple Press, Inc. • Sarasota, Florida Judy Cutchins and Ginny Johnston
Southern FOSSIL
discoveries vol. 1
Ice Age
Giants of the
South
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cutchins, Judy.
Ice age giants of the South / Judy Cutchins and Ginny Johnston.
p. cm. — (Southern fossil discoveries)
Includes index.
Summary: Chronicles recent archaeological discoveries of fossils in the Southern States.
ISBN 1-56164-195-2
1. Prehistoric animals—Juvenile literature. 2. Vertebrates, Fossil—Juvenile literature.
3. Archaeology—Southern States—Juvenile literature. [1. Prehistoric animals. 2. Fossils. 3. Paleontology.]
I. Johnston, Ginny. II. Title. III. Series.
QE842.C88 2000
566—dc21 99-087670
First Edition
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
2. Great Glaciers 8
Glossary 46
Scientific Names 47
Index 48
o ne
Fossils
of Giant
Mammals
D uring the long cool periods that
gave the Ice Age its name, the earth was
not frozen solid. Worldwide, average
ig?
W hy So B of fossil bones prove
e sizes were
T he hug o r ic a nimals
is t
temperatures dropped only a few degrees, ny preh rge
but it was enough to add ice to the glaciers that ma t is t s b elieve la
en
ome sci ler,
over time. For thousands of years, the giants. S p t a t io n to coo
da
e is an a gest tha
t
glaciers grew, but they never covered the body siz r s s u g
the
earth. In regions south of these tremendous mates. O ger
drier cli b e c ome lar
ice sheets, there was a variety of habitats l ly
gradua
for plants and animals. Amazingly, some animals ful.
fo o d is plenti
habitats were in tropical climates. The when
South, from Texas to South Carolina, was a
very warm region throughout the Ice Age.
Scientists know saber-toothed cats,
mammoths, mastodons, and many more
Ice Age animals lived in the South because
their fossils have been found. When
animals die, their softer parts (skin, flesh,
muscles, organs) decay rapidly. Harder
teeth and bones take longer to decay,
and there is a better chance that they
may become fossilized.
4
The largest mastodon ever discovered in North America was found in northern Florida’s Aucilla River in 1968.
Nicknamed “Priscilla,” the skeleton is 11 feet tall. (Don Burk, Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, FL)
5
A researcher from the University of
Florida uncovers a leg bone of
an extinct giant ground sloth.
(Florida Museum of Natural History,
Gainesville, FL)
6
Southern Fossil Discoveries
Volume 1: Ice Age Giants
of the South
by
Judy Cutchins and Ginny Johnston