The animal world has inspired art, thus, in cinema, literature, poetry, painting, music, sculpture, dance and even in architecture, they have been represented in multiple ways. forms animal life. In the case of cinema, and mainly in the animated medium, it is common for films to be made that tell stories about animals. A classic example that was undoubtedly a worldwide success can be found in the Ice Age movie, translated as Ice Age or Ice Age, which narrates the life of various species that, it is assumed, shared adventures at the time of the last glaciation of the planet.
Do you want to know what are the Ice Age animals? In this article on our site we show the main characters of Ice Age to explain what real animals they embody.
Manny and Ellie: Woolly Mammoth
The main character of the movie Ice Age is Manny, so it is normal that we wonder what animal is Manny. Well, it is a woolly mammoth. This character begins in the story with a moody character due to the loss of his family, however, throughout the plot and during the following films (Ice Age 2, Ice Age 3…), this character changes after meeting his new friends and discover that he is not the only mammoth left alive in the world, as Ellie, a woolly mammoth, appears on the scene female
This animal was identified as the species Mammuthus primigenius and was grouped in the family Elephantidae, so it was related to today's elephants. The remains found have allowed us to know that it was an impressive animal, adapted for the icy conditions of that time. The mammoths weighed up to 6 tons and reached dimensions around 3 meters high. Unfortunately, the human being played a crucial role in its extinction.
Sid and Brooke: Giant Sloth
What animal is Sid? Another iconic character in the plot is Sid, a giant sloth that would correspond to the extinct species Megalonyx jeffersonii, which had a wide range of distribution in the real world in American continent. A particular feature of these huge sloths was their large and powerful claws, which they had to use to cling to trees and be able to feed, even though they had terrestrial habits. Although Sid is the sloth with the greatest role in the history of Ice Age, he is not the only one who appears, since during the films we see other characters who embody this prehistoric animal, such as Brooke, who ends up becoming Sid's romantic partner.
Currently, there are different types of sloths with much smaller dimensions, the common sloth being the best known.
Diego and Shira: saber-toothed tiger
Diego accompanies the group of the film's main characters, and is also one of the most prominent. It was a saber-toothed tiger and, although several species existed, it must have represented the species Smilodon fatalis, which had a large size and powerful front legs, in addition to its characteristic fangs that, although they did not have a bite as strong as the other current felids, these were enough to slaughter their victims, since it was an active hunter.
In Ice Age 4, in addition, a new character appears on the scene, Shira, which also corresponds to a saber-toothed tiger but white. This character will become Diego's sentimental partner.
The species lived in the American continent and it is estimated that it became extinct due to the arrival of human beings, who largely hunted the prey on which this feline fed, in addition to the change climate of the time. Discover in this other post more Species of extinct felines.
Scrat and Scraty: Saber-Toothed Squirrel
This particular character represents the species Cronopio dentiacutus, an extinct prehistoric animal whose remains were found in Argentina. It was a peculiar mammal that was distinguished by its long and narrow snout, in addition to the evident highly developed canines. It was a small animal that measured between 15 and 20 cm. Its course during the film is linked to the care and obsession of an acorn.
Although Scrat, a male, is the most popular squirrel, another of the animals in Ice Age 3 is Scraty, a female belonging to the same species, that is, the saber-toothed squirrel.
Dab:dodo
Dab is a dodo (Raphus cucullatus), which was a bird that was endemic to Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean. It was related to pigeons, but had terrestrial habits, being a flightless bird. It is estimated that it was approximately one meter tall and weighed around 10 kg. The dodo must have become extinct due to human actions when they arrived in its habitat. Thus, the hunting and introduction of animals that pressured the bird, led to its disappearance, this coupled with the fact that it was a very easy animal to catch. In this other article we talk more in depth about Why the dodo became extinct.
Buck: weasel
Among the Ice Age characters we can also find Buck, which corresponds to a weasel, which was a carnivorous animal from the mustelid group. A recent discovery was made in Argentina of a prehistoric weasel, which has been reported to have lived with other animals present in the Ice Age. Buck, in the film, faces a dinosaur that, as has been reflected, could represent that antagonistic relationship between dinosaurs and mammals.
Crash and Eddie: Opossums
Other two peculiar characters and animals from Ice Age 2 are possums that, as we say, appear in the second installment of the film along with Ellie. These animals currently correspond to marsupials, typical of America, and their evolutionary history is linked to millions of years ago and coincides with the extinction of the dinosaurs. Findings have established that possums originated from the species Mimoperadectes houdei.
Stu: glyptodonton
One of the glyptodonts we see in Ice Age is Stu, although he doesn't represent one of the main ones and his appearance is very brief. In this case, they were large armored mammals, similar to modern-day armadillos, with whom they are in fact related. They inhabited South America and were tolerant of both hot and cold temperatures. They were herbivores and, although they were not represented with a particular character in the film other than the one already mentioned, they can be seen at some point.
Bulldog Bear (Arctodus simus)
This extinct species of bear was also known as the short-faced bear and lived in North America. The remains found have made it possible to estimate that were enormous animals, perhaps the largest in the region at that time, reaching weights close to a ton. Currently, the spectacled bear is the only species related to the Bulldog bear.
Mummy Dino: Tyrannosaurus Rex
In the Ice Age 1 movie they also feature a Frozen Tyrannosaurus, which is seen only by Sid. Also, Ice Age 3 features Mama Dino, a female Tyrannosaurus rex who competes with Sid for the care of her little ones.
This animal was a biped characterized by being a great predator, which has inspired other plots in the cinema. The size is estimated at about 12 meters high, which, added to its predatory fame, is undoubtedly terrifying.
Discover more carnivorous dinosaurs in this other post on our site.
Other Ice Age Animals
Several parts of the Ice Age have already been made, so the animals that appear in them are diverse. Although we have mentioned the most representative Ice Age animals of the various films in the saga, as we say, there are many more that appear. Here are other characters seen in the movies:
- Gavin: Theropod dinosaur
- Shangri Llama: llama
- Gupta: Bengal badger
- Carl and Frank: Mismatched Brontops
- Captain Gut: prehistoric orangutan (Gigantopithecus)
Also, in the movies other animals are represented, although not through significant characters:
- Vultures
- Horned Beaver
- Anteater
- Brontother (Carl)
- Prehistoric Piranha
- Prehistoric deer
- Teleosaurus (Reptile)
- Elephant Seal (Flynn)
- Chalicothere (Perisodactyl)
- Arctic bison (Bison priscus)
- Giant wolf (Aenocyon dirus)
- Palaeotherium (Tapir-like)
- Alce Stag moose (Cervalces scotti)
- American lion (Panthera leo atrox)
- Woolly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis)
- Cave hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea)
- Sabre-toothed cat (Homotherium serum)
- Platybelodon (related to modern elephants)