The Ice Age

The Ice Age was a time when thick sheets of ice covered large parts of the world. The most recent ice age started about 2.6 million years ago. It had cold periods called glacials and warmer periods called interglacials. We are actually living in a warm period of an ice age right now!

A Frozen World

During the coldest times, ice sheets covered most of Canada, northern Europe, and parts of Asia. The ice could be over a mile thick! Sea levels dropped because so much water was locked up in ice. You could walk from Asia to North America across a land bridge where the ocean is now.

Ice Age Animals

Many amazing animals lived during the Ice Age. Woolly mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and giant ground sloths roamed the land. Dire wolves hunted in packs. These animals had thick fur or large bodies to stay warm. Most of them went extinct about 10,000 years ago.

Fun Facts

• During the Ice Age, you could walk from Russia to Alaska because sea levels were much lower.
• The Great Lakes in the United States were carved out by massive glaciers.
• We are technically still in an ice age — just a warm period of one.

Did You Know?

The Ice Age was not just one long freeze. It went back and forth between cold glacial periods and warmer interglacial periods. We are in a warm interglacial period right now, which started about 11,700 years ago!