Roger Bagu
Thu, Jan-11-07, 17:17
http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200701/1824582.htm?southeast-
sa Humans to blame for megafauna extinction: study Wednesday,
10 January 2007. 15:23 (AEDT)Wednesday, 10 January 2007.
14:23 (ACST)Wednesday, 10 January 2007. 14:23 (AEST)Wednesday,
10 January 2007. 15:23 (ACDT)Wednesday, 10 January 2007.
13:23 (AWDT)
After more than 100 years debate, scientists claim they know
why the large ancient animals known as megafauna became
extinct in south-east South Australia.
A study published in an international journal says humans were
the main factor in the extinction of megafauna around
Naracoorte.
Scientists say new evidence from fossils in Naracoorte's world
heritage listed caves has discounted the popular belief that
climate change killed the animals.
Flinders University palaeontologist Dr Gavin Prideaux says his
team's findings will unlock the mystery in a number of areas.
"I guess what we'd like to think we've done with this work is
to set a benchmark for one area where the same sorts of
approaches can be made in other areas to examine the pattern
is the same there," he said.
"I think the question is drifting away from whether it was
climate change or humans that killed the megafauna and more
that how was it that humans drove these animals to
extinction?"
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/96911.php/Australias-giant-pre-
historic-animals-extinction-due-to-humans-not-climate
Australia's giant prehistoric animals' extinction due to
humans, not climate
Sydney, Dec 26 (ANI): A new study by an Australian
palaeontologist has revealed that 90 percent of the
continent's so called megafauna - prehistoric animals such as
giant goannas, three metre tall kangaroos and rhino sized
marsupials - died within 20,000 years of human arrival.
The new research, published in international journal Geology's
January 2007 edition, is set to fuel what has become one of
palaeontology's longest-running and contentious debates, as
till now experts believed climate change was responsible for
wiping out Australia's megafauna.
For his study, Dr Gavin Prideaux, a Western Australian Museum
and Flinders University palaeontologist dated fossils found in
the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area in south-eastern
South Australia, which contain the country's richest
collection of Pleistocene fossils dating back 1.8 million to
10 thousand years.
He compared the fossil data to a 500 thousand-year record of
local rainfall, which was determined by analysing the caves'
stalagmite system, and additional climate clues found in the
sediments.
The fossil evidence revealed 'surprising stability' in the
mammal composition in successive periods of wet and dry. In
other words, the megafauna became extinct during environmental
conditions similar to those under which they thrived.
"Climate change was certainly not the main culprit in the
extinctions. Our data show that the megafauna was resilient to
climatic fluctuations over the past half-million years," the
Sydney Morning Herald quoted Dr Prideaux as saying.
"Although populations fluctuated locally in concert with
cyclical climatic changes, with larger species favoured in
wetter times, most if not all of them survived even the driest
times - then humans arrived," he said. (ANI)
sa Humans to blame for megafauna extinction: study Wednesday,
10 January 2007. 15:23 (AEDT)Wednesday, 10 January 2007.
14:23 (ACST)Wednesday, 10 January 2007. 14:23 (AEST)Wednesday,
10 January 2007. 15:23 (ACDT)Wednesday, 10 January 2007.
13:23 (AWDT)
After more than 100 years debate, scientists claim they know
why the large ancient animals known as megafauna became
extinct in south-east South Australia.
A study published in an international journal says humans were
the main factor in the extinction of megafauna around
Naracoorte.
Scientists say new evidence from fossils in Naracoorte's world
heritage listed caves has discounted the popular belief that
climate change killed the animals.
Flinders University palaeontologist Dr Gavin Prideaux says his
team's findings will unlock the mystery in a number of areas.
"I guess what we'd like to think we've done with this work is
to set a benchmark for one area where the same sorts of
approaches can be made in other areas to examine the pattern
is the same there," he said.
"I think the question is drifting away from whether it was
climate change or humans that killed the megafauna and more
that how was it that humans drove these animals to
extinction?"
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/96911.php/Australias-giant-pre-
historic-animals-extinction-due-to-humans-not-climate
Australia's giant prehistoric animals' extinction due to
humans, not climate
Sydney, Dec 26 (ANI): A new study by an Australian
palaeontologist has revealed that 90 percent of the
continent's so called megafauna - prehistoric animals such as
giant goannas, three metre tall kangaroos and rhino sized
marsupials - died within 20,000 years of human arrival.
The new research, published in international journal Geology's
January 2007 edition, is set to fuel what has become one of
palaeontology's longest-running and contentious debates, as
till now experts believed climate change was responsible for
wiping out Australia's megafauna.
For his study, Dr Gavin Prideaux, a Western Australian Museum
and Flinders University palaeontologist dated fossils found in
the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area in south-eastern
South Australia, which contain the country's richest
collection of Pleistocene fossils dating back 1.8 million to
10 thousand years.
He compared the fossil data to a 500 thousand-year record of
local rainfall, which was determined by analysing the caves'
stalagmite system, and additional climate clues found in the
sediments.
The fossil evidence revealed 'surprising stability' in the
mammal composition in successive periods of wet and dry. In
other words, the megafauna became extinct during environmental
conditions similar to those under which they thrived.
"Climate change was certainly not the main culprit in the
extinctions. Our data show that the megafauna was resilient to
climatic fluctuations over the past half-million years," the
Sydney Morning Herald quoted Dr Prideaux as saying.
"Although populations fluctuated locally in concert with
cyclical climatic changes, with larger species favoured in
wetter times, most if not all of them survived even the driest
times - then humans arrived," he said. (ANI)