Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why was the Bering land bridge important for the migration of animals and humans?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Map showing the extent of the Laurentide, Cordilleran, and Greenland ice sheets during the Wisconsin glaciation, roughly 100,000 to 11,000 years ago. The Laurentide Ice Sheet covers most of present-day Canada and parts of the northern United States in light blue, the Cordilleran Ice Sheet covers the Pacific Northwest in teal, and the Greenland Ice Sheet is marked in purple. Modern international and state or provincial boundaries are outlined for reference. — Pleistocene Epoch Ice sheets during the Wisconsin glacial episode penetrated deep into North America.

During the Pleistocene Epoch, the Bering land bridge—known as Beringia—was critical because it provided a dry, unglaciated corridor connecting northeastern Asia and northwestern North America.12

This connection formed when worldwide glaciation caused sea levels to drop by as much as 400 feet, exposing vast areas of the seafloor. Because this region remained largely free of ice, it supported cold-hardy tundra vegetation, which created a viable environment for land mammals to migrate between the Old and New worlds.12

For humans, this land bridge is widely considered the principal route by which ancestral populations migrated from Asia to populate the Americas. While some theories suggest alternative coastal routes or travel by boat, the land bridge provided a direct overland path that allowed early peoples to follow game into new territories. As glaciers melted and sea levels rose at the end of the Pleistocene, this vital intercontinental link was eventually submerged, severing the connection between the two continents.12