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| '''Pleistocene megafauna''' is the term used to describe the larger ] of ]s, ]s and ]s that lived on earth in the ] era. These animals suffered a massive ] event as humanity expanded out of ] and ], continents that are the only two still to retain some ] equivalent to what was lost. Three competing ] have been given for these extinctions, first was ] by the spreading people, second was ], third was spreading ]. Many scientists believe that a combination of these theories may have been responsible. | |||
| ==Pleistocene megafauna by region== | |||
| ===American Pleistocene megafauna=== | |||
| ] ] in the Americas included ]s, the ], ]s, ]s (like the ]), ], ]s, wide-horned ], ]s, ], ]s and ]s, giant ]s, and giant ]s. In contrast today the largest ] land mammal is the ]. ]n megafauna comprised of many of the same elements as that of North America. Notable components not found in North America are the giant armadillos (]s). | |||
| ===Australian Pleistocene megafauna=== | |||
| ], then as now, was characterized by ]s and ]s, supported large carnivorous ]s, ], a giant ], the ] (''Thylacoleo carnifex''), the 3-meter flightless bird ], the 5-meter ] ] and the giant ] ]. | |||
| ''See also:'' ] | |||
| ===Eurasian Pleistocene megafauna=== | |||
| As with South America, elements of North American fauna could be found in ]. Among the most famous Eurasian species are the ], ], ]s, ] and ] in ]. | |||
| ===Other Pleistocene megafauna=== | |||
| Many ]s had a unique megafauna that was driven to extinction on the arrival of man. These included giant bird forms in ] such as the ]s and the ] (giant eagle); gorilla-sized ]s, two species of ] on ], and giant birds, land turtles and ] on ] and giant geese and ] (giant ducks) in ].. | |||
| ==Extinction== | |||
| The three major extinction theories as to why these species went extinct so quickly, these possible causes can be summarised as "Kill, chill and ill". | |||
| ===Hunting=== | |||
| The "kill" theory is that Pleistocene humans triggered the megafaunal extinction. This theory has two variants, "]" and "sitzkrieg" or "slow burn". The blitzkrieg theory is that humans the hunted the megafauna to extinction in a short time. There is strong evidence of this in several forms. Firstly is the fossil evidence of megafauna found in conjunction with human remains, particularly with evidence of hunting, such as arrows in the bones, cut marks and ]s depicting ]. Secondly is the ] evidence; the areas of the world where humans evolved still have some megafauna (the ]s and ]s of ] and ]) whereas the areas that didn't have early man, ], the ], ] and ], all lost their megafauna. It is theorised that the megafauna of Asia and Africa evolved with man, and learnt to be wary of them, whereas in other parts of the world the wildlife was ] and was easier to hunt. This is particularly true of the island faunas. Thirdly, the close correlation between humanity in an area and the extinction of the megafauna also provides weight to the human caused extinction. The "sitzkrieg" theory is that human encroachment gradually destroyed habitat and led to a die out. | |||
| ===Climate change=== | |||
| The "chill" theory explains the extinctions by climatic change following the last Ice Age. Since there were multiple Ice Ages prior to the last one, the climatic theory raises the question, why did the extinctions occur only after the Last Ice Age? One tentative answer is that a nearby ] altered the ] environment and as a consequence exaggerated the climatic perturbation. It will require data from space research to advance this claim beyond speculation. | |||
| ===Disease=== | |||
| The "ill" theory is that a ] or hyperdisease caused the megafaunal extinction. According to this theory, large mammals were particularly vulnerable because they were fewer in number than smaller species. Size and population size tend to be inversely related. One particular suggestion that has been well received, even if it will be difficult to prove, is that pathogens were transmitted by the expanding humans in the form of the dogs they brought with them. Diseases imported by people have been responisble for extinctions in the recent past, for example bringing avian ] to Hawaii has had a terrible impact on the isolated birds of the island. The researcher McPhee is searching ] in mammoth fossils from ] in ]. He hopes to find evidence of ]. | |||
| Some experts claim that various combinations of these factors are responsible for the extinctions. It is certain, in the case of the moa and some other species, that hunting was responsible, this probably pushed many species over the edge that were already realing from imported diseases and the change in climate. | |||
| ==Megafauna and legend== | |||
| Throughout history, humans wondered about the large, ]ized ] and ]s they would discover from time to time. During the classical age the bones of ]s were reputed to have been found. In ] times the fossils were attributed to ] such as ]s and ]s. During the ], while ]es went off in hot pursuit of ], glory and pretty women, ] ]s had time for tamer endeavors. They would speculate about the large bones that could be found in the ]. The ] also had legends of ]s, and the ] also believed in giants. | |||
| With more modern tools ]s have reconstructed a world of beasts as amazing as the dragons and unicorns of ], including many larger versions of contemporary ], ] and ] families. Scientists and historians, who long dismissed such legends as early ]s, are beginning to look at the legends in a new light. The sites where the ] claimed to find the bones of giants today produce the bones of mammoths. Similar finds have been made in Central America. Since humans coexisted with these animals, some researchers wonder if the beasts might also be remembered in legend, for example the Australian ] legends refer to the ]l species. The mythical ], source of creation and destruction may be based on the ''Wonambi naracoortensis''. The hairy manlike ] may be the Diprotodon filtered through legend. Clearly it is difficult to translate the poetic vocabulary of myth into the technical language of paleontology. In its fossil form, ''Wonambi naracoortensis'' does not need the legend to deserve the name "Rainbow Serpent". Its fossils have ]d and now they shimmer in all colors of the spectrum. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * | |||
| ] | |||
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