Pleistocene Epoch - Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land

This video from the Museum's Florida Fossils exhibit describes the Pleistocene Epoch, 2 million to 10,000 years ago. The Ice Ages of the Pleistocene wreaked climatic havoc on the northern continents, but Florida was buffered from the worst effects by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Nevertheless, rapid pulses of climate change profoundly affected the area. During glacial periods (low sea levels), Florida was more than twice as large as it is today. Warmer periods (high sea levels) caused the peninsula to shrink in size.

The number of larger animals (megafauna) declined during the late Pleistocene, but scientists are unsure why these extinctions occurred. Changing climates or disease may have caused their demise. Perhaps the new predator in the region, Homo sapiens, hunted these marvelous animals to extinction. All we know with confidence is that their fossilized remains testify to their existence in Florida until about 10,000 years ago.

Produced, directed and filmed for the Florida Museum of Natural History by Wes C. Skiles/Karst Productions, Inc.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• pleistocene
• epoch
• ice
• age
• glaciers
• fossils
• geology
• geologic
• history
• paleontology
• florida
• museum
• of
• natural
• flmnh
• fossil
• horses
• mammoth
• sink
• holes
• mastodon
• sloths
• extinctions
• evolution
• ancient
• life

[JoanneFromNYC]

Excellent video!

[seunmoyo]

I just find it hard to believe these stuff about fossils 10 million years old.

It doesn't add up. From Adam's time till now is just over 6,000 years, where in the heavens and earth did people come up with these large volume of years where extinct animals lived.

[elcheez]

@NewYorkFlavour It's a feature for the Florida Museum of Natural History's Hall of FLORIDA FOSSILS, so naturally the focus here is on Florida' fossil history. I thought that would have been obvious from both the video title and the video itself.

[NewYorkFlavour]

Florida this, Florida that, no one cares about fucking Florida. Just talk about the animals. And "epoch" is pronounced "ee-pahk".

[younwhosarmy]

What about the White European stone age peoples who settled in Chesapeake Bay area 2,000 years earlier.. As a Museum I should think you would be better Educated..