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Extinction of ancient grazing animals led to rise in wildfires: study

Nov. 28, Toronto, Ont., – Thousands of years ago, iconic ancient herbivores, such as the woolly mammoth, giant bison and ancient horses roamed the earth and played an important role for the world’s grassland ecosystems. Now, a new study has found that the extinction of these animals may have contributed to an increase in grassland wildfires worldwide. The study, led by researchers from Yale University and the Utah Natural History Museum, looked at the effects of the late Quaternary extinction, which occurred 50,000 to 6,000 years ago. They published their findings in the journal Science on Thursday.  CTV News reports. | READ MORE