Saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, mammoths, mastodons, and giant sloths are just a few of the large animals that lived during the Ice Ages, which began 1.8 millions years ago. Ten thousand years ago, when a warming trend brought the last Ice Age to an end, these extraordinary animals became extinct. Fossils are the only clues to their lives and habitats, and the southern United States is one of the best places in the world to find Ice Age Fossils.

Southern river bottoms, rock quarries, sinkholes, and caves are treasure chests of Ice Age fossils. Scientists and amateur collectors have uncovered bones and teeth of extinct giant mammals. The fossils provide important clues that help scientists piece together a story of what life was like more than 10,000 years ago.