Sarah+G


 * [[image:https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/DRW1C2o8eVfhtTdlrHAwI9d44skObd0ENjkg5e3zQNrHu6BlpguEl83BaXIzMJJaTmEyUAsnGnxFxofWXTXHPgS1QgSra6aRNj0IuTw4wx-dy2e4wE0 width="261" height="173"]]Mass-Mastodon Extinction **

** New Information About the Extinction of the Mastodon  ** ** One question that baffles scientists even today is how the mastodons died off. Many people have theories as to why these gigantic relatives of the mammoths seemed to drop dead 11,000 years ago, but no one knows for sure. ** **  One theory says that humans played a role in the extinction of this massive mammal. Humans may have killed off the herds as a source of food, one by one, and soon the all died off. Early humans may have also killed a “key-stone” species that may have triggered the death of the mastodons. ** **  Another theory says that the extinction may have been due to disease among the mastodons. Some fossil evidence found suggests that tuberculosis may have killed this species. ** **  Another common theory is that climate change may have driven the mastodons to extinction. ** **  Although there are many compelling theories that all have evidence to back them up, we still do not know for sure which, if any, of these things killed the mastodons. **

** Image: ' [|Neolithic Men with BrickForge Tribal Spears] ' ** ** http://www.flickr.com/photos/12426416@N00/3385957727 **

** []  ** ** Image: ' [|The pensive mammoth] ' ** ** http://www.flickr.com/photos/95601478@N00/3149075324 ** ** []  **