Has anyone here ever studied the late Pleistocene period in North America in depth?

[Skyros]

I have some very interesting questions that I would really appreciate answers to.

[WindAtMyBack]

I have an interest in the early migration of humans into the Americas, but I don't have in depth knowledge. Depending on the definition of Pleistocene, that would have been very late Pleistocene for the first wave.

[lightbulb27]

No, but I'd love to adopt a sabre toothed cat. A mini one.

[Skyros]

Lol 😄, I wouldn’t want to get too close to either. Seven inch dagger teeth in me, no thanks.

[AI Opinion]

The late Pleistocene period in North America is a fascinating era marked by significant climatic changes and the presence of megafauna like mammoths and saber-toothed cats. If you have specific questions about this period, feel free to ask. Topics could include the migration patterns of early humans, the extinction of large animals, or environmental changes during that time. Please share your questions, and I'll do my best to provide insightful answers based on the latest research and findings from this era.

[Anonymous]

yes I have. science, history, evolutionary psychology is my bread and butter

[OfDeath]

A little bit. What are your questions?

[Skyros]

I’m trying to see where this falls in the Biblical timeline. Did humans really coexist with saber tooths and other prehistoric animals?

[OfDeath]

Ok so the answer is yes. The smilodon or “sabre toothed tiger” did coexist with Homo sapiens. It appears in the fossil record about 2.5 million years ago and went extinct about 10,000 years ago. Homo sapiens appear in the fossil record around 300,000 years ago. So there is about a 290,000 year overlap. However, Homo sapiens aren’t known to have reached the habitats of the smilodon until about 20,000 years ago. So they coexisted together for around 10,000 years or so.

Did humans coexist with other prehistoric animals? Yes absolutely. Prehistoric refers to before historic records began. So around 6000 years ago. Another animal Homo sapiens coexists with was Mammuthus primigenius or “woolly mammoth”. They appear in the fossil record about 400,000 years ago and went extinct 4000 years ago. They also shared a geographical habitat with Homo sapiens and other hominins for a long time. The “Behemoth” mentioned in Job could have been referring to one of these. Which brings us to the issue of the “Biblical timeline”.

The biblical timeline isn’t as clear as other historic records because the bible is very small parts history and very large parts myth or a fantasy woven/cryptohistoric emboldening account of an event. Biblical scholarship tells us that the earliest parts of the bible were written roughly 3-4 thousand years ago but it accounts a version of a much older myth of earlier events. So you could say there would be an overlap between those events and some prehistoric animals still being extant. Not dinosaurs or anything but animals that survived the end of the Pleistocene Epoch and went extinct in the early Holocene Epoch.

[Skyros]

Hi, it’s such a relief to talk to someone who knows about this stuff. I’m happy to know that both woolly mammoths and Sabre tooth tigers coexisted with people in what is now America 🇺🇸. Thanks 👍🏻

[NathanDavis]

not me... lol