In this class we will use simple language and visuals to learn about the amazing creatures of the ice age, one continent at a time!

Day 1--Introduction and Islands: We will start by introducing the Pleistocene epoch, a period in Earth's recent history marked by wide swings in climate pattern--while it is often called the "ice age," it is more accurate to talk about many "ice ages." Then we will begin our tour, meeting giant lizards and pouched marsupials in Australia, enormous birds in New Zealand, and large lemurs in Madagascar.

Day 2--Eurasia and Africa: During the Pleistocene these Europe and Asia were inhabited by larger relatives of modern deer, cattle, and bears, as well as lions and rhinos! Eurasia was also home to perhaps the most famous ice age animal: the woolly mammoth. The animals of Africa were similar to those around today, with an important difference: the continent was home to many groups of human ancestors and relatives throughout the period.

Day 3--North and South America: These continents, which only connected for the first time shortly before the beginning of the Pleistocene, were home to some of the most amazing animals of recent prehistory. In North America, the Columbian mammoth, a larger cousin of the woolly mammoth, lived alongside dire wolves, mastodons and camels. Pleistocene South America was home to one of the largest saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, and armadillos the size of cars!