The chill factor
Fans everywhere have warmed up to the animated film, Ice Age: The Meltdown.
Meltdown is the sequel to the popular movie Ice Age and takes place at the end of the Ice Age. The story is about a big thaw that is going to destroy the valley and replace it with a big ol’ river. So Diego, Manny and Sid need to warn their friends and help get everyone to safety. Let’s take a look back at the Ice Age and the cool animals from that chill chapter in time.
What is the ice age?
Throughout history, there have been several instances when the Earth was so cold that the continents were blanketed with large sheets of ice, or glaciers. The most recent of that period is the Pleistocene epoch — often referred to as the Ice Age
And the animals?
The animated film features several of the best-known Ice Age animals, including mammoths, masto-dons and ground sloths. Here’s a brief look at some of the key characters of this cold time.
Mammoths: Three species of mammoths (Columbian, Jefferson’s and the woolly mammoth) lived on the mainland of the USA at the end of the last Ice Age. Mammoths are closely related to elephants and could grow as tall as 10 to 12 feet and weigh 6 to 8 tonnes.
Ground sloths: These plant-eating beasts evolved from tree sloths in South America. Ground sloths, distantly related to anteaters and armadillos, stood about 20 feet tall and weighed several tonnes. The shape of their hip bones reveals that they may have been able to stand on their hind legs.
Sabre-toothed cats: These large cats are perhaps the best-known animals from the Ice Age. These carnivores had long, sharp teeth which were lethal to their prey.
Mastodons: These hefty creatures, relatives of prehistoric mammoths, survived until about 10,000 years ago. A mastodon’s head had a flexible trunk, small ears and tusks.
MCT
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