Document Type
Research Paper
Publication Date
2024
First page number:
1
Last page number:
20
Abstract
The Columbian’s mammoth evolutionary history can be traced back to the origin of life and its evolutionary lineage can be tracked down by examining select species over geologic time. I conducted a literature review with multiple scientific journals to identify key transitional species that trace their lineage to the Columbian mammoth. Transitional species were selected from the Precambrian and the various periods of the Phanerozoic which exhibited vertebrate-like body structures and behaviors. Evidence suggests that early vertebrate-like animals were present by the Cambrian period. Mammal evolution would continue in the Mesozoic era and radiate in the Cenozoic era. The Columbian mammoth would become an important megafauna in the Pleistocene epoch ecosystem during the last ice age. Each of the individual species I identified could be further studied to trace the evolutionary steps to reveal their contributions to the evolution of the Columbian mammoth.
Controlled Subject
Glacial epoch; Mammoths
Disciplines
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Geology
File Format
File Size
151 KB
Language
English
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Repository Citation
Valentine, N.
(2024).
The Behemoth of the Last Ice Age: The Evolutionary Saga of the Columbian Mammoth in North America.
1-20.
Available at:
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/award/67