Ice Age Animal Cold Adaptations Began 2.6 Million Years Ago, Study Finds

The animals adapted to the cold began to evolve 2.6 million years ago, when the permanent ice at the poles became more frequent, according to a new study.This was followed by a time when the continental ice layers expanded and contracted, and about 700,000 years ago the cold periods doubled their duration.That's when many of the current species adapted to the cold evolved, as well as some extinct species, such as mammoths.The research has brough…

Different phases of evolution during ice age

Cold-adapted animals started to evolve 2.6 million years ago when the permanent ice at the poles became more prevalent. There followed a time when the continental ice sheets expanded and contracted and around 700,000 years ago the cold periods doubled in length. This is when many of the current cold-adapted species, as well as extinct ones like mammoths, evolved.

Ice age animal cold adaptations began 2.6 million years ago, study finds

A new study has provided fresh insights into how animals such as the woolly mammoth, musk ox and arctic fox evolved to survive the cold during the ice age.