A series of new studies sheds light on the population crash and extinction of the giant birds, lemurs and more that roamed the island until around A.D. 700-1000.
Articles on Megafaunal extinction
Displaying 21 - 34 of 34 articles
How we discovered ancient footprints of early human hunters and their megafauna prey.
Scientists in New Zealand have discovered an extinct penguin known as Kumimanu biceae that was 1.77m tall.
The new Tasmanian tiger genome reveals some fascinating facts about this extinct marsupial, including why they were so similar to dogs, and how they were growing more vulnerable to genetic disease.
Studies of the fossil teeth of the three-tonne Diprotodon have revealed the now-extinct beast was Australia’s only known seasonally migrating marsupial.
A burst of wet weather could have helped to kill off mammoths and other large herbivores, by transforming much of the world’s grasslands into bogs and forests and depriving megafauna of food.
The extinction of the giant reptiles, marsupials and birds that once called Australia home has been the subject of much debate, including the role early Australians may have had on their fate.
What killed off Australia’s giant wombats and other megafauna? New dating once again points the finger at human hunters, rather than abrupt changes to the climate.
Our entire knowledge of one of Australia’s extinct ancient giant birds is flawed because experts have been looking at remnants of the wrong egg the whole time.
New research challenges previously held views that the Ice Age, giant biblical floods or hunting by humans were the key drivers behind the disappearance of megafauna.
Animals that couldn’t adapt to rapid warming quickly succumbed.
A decade-long research project has revealed the diets of extinct Antarctic megafauna – as well as uncovering potential reasons…
If Earth were like a human body, large animals might be its arteries, moving nutrients from where they’re abundant to where they’re needed. Currently the planet has large regions where life is limited…
Contrary to previous research, climate change has been found not guilty of causing the mass extinction of giant Australian…
Top contributors
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Associate Professor in Vertebrate Palaeontology, Flinders University
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Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research, University of Technology Sydney
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Adjunct Associate Lecturer in Palaeontology, Flinders University
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Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Biogeography, Node & Stream Leader for ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, University of Technology Sydney; Australian Museum
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Lecturer in Palaeontology, The University of Queensland
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Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Node Leader in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, Flinders University
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Distinguished Professor, Charles Sturt University
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Professor of Wildlife Conservation, University of Tasmania
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Senior Research Scientist, South Australian Museum; Flinders University
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Professor, Palaeontology, Griffith University
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PhD candidate, Adelaide University
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Lecturer in Ecosystem Ecology, University of Oxford
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Professor of Water Science, Griffith University
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Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
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Professor of Archaeology and Biological Anthropology, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland