Megafauna extinction mystery unlocked

[Eldorado]

The rapid extinction of giant animals including wombat-like creatures as big as cars, birds more than two meters tall, and lizards more than seven meters long that once roamed the Australian continent is a puzzle that has long engaged researchers.

Ancient clues, in the shape of fossils and archaeological evidence of varying quality scattered across Australia, have formed the basis of several hypotheses about the fate of megafauna that vanished about 42,000 years ago from the ancient continent of Sahul, comprising mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and neighboring islands.

Phys Org: Link

Relative demographic susceptibility does not explain the extinction chronology of Sahul’s megafauna.

eLife Sciences

Edited April 14, 2021 by Eldorado