The catastrophic extinction of North American mammoths and mastodonts

Archaeological and theoretical evidence reviewed here indicates that Clovis-era foragers exterminated mammoths and mastodonts in North America around 11,000 radiocarbon years ago. The process unfolded quickly as human foragers explored and dispersed into fragmenting habitats where megamammal populations were ecologically stressed. Megamammal extinctions were eco-catastrophes with major ripple effects on floral and faunal communities.