Megafauna

Collecting samples for ancient DNA analyses at Chiquihuite Cave

The arrival of humans in the Americas may predate the peak of the last ice age, new research shows.

Mukupirna nambensis

A giant marsupial that roamed prehistoric Australia 25 million years ago is so different from its wombat cousins that scientists have had to create a new family to accommodate it.

more-giant-beasts.jpg

A study of the fossil teeth of megafauna from Cuddie Springs in NSW suggests that climate change had a significant impact on the diets of these giants and may well have been a primary factor in their extinction.

mammoth skeleton

Abrupt warming that closely resembles the rapid man-made warming occurring today has repeatedly played a key role in mass extinction events of large animals, the megafauna, in the Earth’s past, new research shows.

 

Mammoth

New advances in ancient DNA, carbon dating and climate reconstruction finally provide some answers on megafauna extinction, write Chris Turney and Alan Cooper.

Marsupiallion2

Most species of gigantic animals that once roamed Australia had already disappeared by the time people arrived, a major review of the available evidence has concluded.

Skeleton

Fossils found in Queensland have added another gigantic creature to Australia’s prehistoric mammals, writes Karen Black.

10July Cuddy

Indigenous collaboration and bush skills are shedding new light on what killed off Australia's unique megafauna.