Arctic beasts
A 2014 study in Nature has found that Arctic mega-beasts like the wooly mammoth may have grazed a much more varied landscape than previously thought.
Grassland steppe
Previously, researchers thought the Arctic looked like monolithic grassland steppe.
Permafrost cores
But by analyzing plant DNA in permafrost cores (like the one here from Talmyr, Siberia), the team found that many more wildflower-like plants called forbs were present at the time.
Flowery landscape
That suggests the landscape was filled with colorful blooms and a more varied flora than previously thought.
Mammoth tusk
The team also analyzed the gut contents of Pleistocene beasts and found they ate a higher proportion of forbs than thought.
High protein snacks
These flowering plants could have provided high-protein, nutritious snacks for beast such as mammoths and rhinos .
Modern diet?
The new results could also mean rethinking how much of different plant types that modern grazers, such as the bison, eat, researchers say.
