Why did many northern bovid species become extinct after the Ice Age?

The extinction of many northern bovid species and other large mammals following the Ice Age is a complex phenomenon with no single, universally accepted cause. Instead, researchers point to a combination of interconnected factors that fundamentally altered the environment at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch.312

Key factors contributing to these extinctions include:

• Climate Change and Habitat Loss: The transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene Epoch involved significant warming and drying trends. This shift caused the loss or drastic alteration of habitats, such as the vast steppe grasslands that supported large grazers. For example, climate change is estimated to have eliminated 90 percent of mammoth habitat in North America.134
• Human Impact: The "prehistoric overkill hypothesis" suggests that human hunting played a significant role in the demise of large animals. As human populations expanded, they may have exerted unsustainable pressure on species that were not adapted to avoid these new predators.31
• Environmental and Biological Shifts: The end of the Ice Age led to the formation of new, modern biotic communities, which resulted from intricate biological and biophysical interactions. These changes likely made it difficult for specialized Pleistocene species to survive.1

While human predation is a widely debated factor, many scientists emphasize that habitat destruction and broader climatic shifts were primary drivers of these extinctions.34