The Pleistocene was characterized by extensive glaciations, which formed large ice sheets and glaciers. These icy formations sculpted the landscape, creating features such as U-shaped valleys, moraines, and drumlins.
The climate during the Pleistocene was marked by fluctuations between cold glacial periods and warmer interglacial periods. These changes influenced the distribution of plant and animal species, as well as the extent of ice cover on the planet.
Megafauna of the Pleistocene included mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, and woolly rhinoceroses, among others. Many of these large mammals went extinct by the end of the epoch.
Early humans, such as Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis, inhabited various regions of the world during the Pleistocene. The development of tools, language, and social structures allowed human populations to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Scientists are actively researching the causes of megafaunal extinctions, the impact of climate change on ancient human populations, and the interplay between environmental factors and evolutionary processes during the Pleistocene.
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