How extinction of giant ice age beasts could still affect food chains

Apr 29, 2026 · 8:40 AM UTC ·6 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 31 views

#ecology #extinction #biodiversity #ice age #food web

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

The extinction of large ice age mammals such as mammoths and saber-toothed cats around 10,000 years ago continues to influence modern food webs. A new study shows that the loss of these megafauna species triggered cascading ecological changes that persist today. Understanding these ancient disruptions may help predict the long-term effects of current biodiversity loss.

Key facts

▪The extinction of megafauna like woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats occurred within a 40,000-year span ending about 10,000 years ago.
▪Research published in PNAS analyzed predator-prey relationships across 389 sites in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
▪The study found that ancient extinctions significantly shaped today’s food web structures, particularly affecting species over one tonne.
▪Loss of top predators or large herbivores can trigger cascading effects throughout ecosystems, altering species interactions and landscape dynamics.

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The Independent (UK) publishes from United Kingdom and files mainly under news. We currently carry 922 of its stories.

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Original publisher	The Independent
Canonical URL	https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/extinction-ice-age-woolly-mammoth-megafauna-study-b2966654.html
Publication time	Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:40:39 GMT
Retrieval time	2026-04-29T08:46:54.487Z
Last seen	2026-04-29T08:46:54.487Z
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Publisher visit	Yes — open original
Substitutes article?	No — link-out required for full text

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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…

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