During the late Pleistocene, a diverse assemblage of large-bodied mammals inhabited the "mammoth steppe" of northern Eurasia and Beringia. Of the large predators -- wolves, bears, and big cats -- only the wolves and bears were able to maintain their ranges well after the end of the last ice age. A new study suggests that dietary flexibility may have been an important factor giving wolves and bears an edge over saber-toothed cats and cave lions.

Source: Dietary flexibility may have helped some large predators survive after last ice age