The Giant Ground Sloth, Mastodon, Saber-tooth Cat, Mammoth, Woolly Rhino, and many other large mammals went extinct at the end of the last Ice Age.

Scientists aren't sure why but there are at least 2 ideas:

1. Climate Change - there is evidence around 10,000 years ago that the climate warmed, and the glaciers melted. Perhaps these large mammals could not adapt to a warmer climate and became extinct.
2. Human Hunting - there is evidence that human beings, Native Americans or "Paleoindians," lived in North America by ~15,000 years ago, perhaps earlier. There is also evidence that these humans hunted large mammals. Perhaps they killed too many, too fast, and drove them to extinction.

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