Australian Megafaunal Extinctions

The possible causes of the Australian 'megafauna' extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene fall into two basic categories, human impact and climatic change. Many models based on one or both of these are used to try to explain the extinction. The timing of the event is important in determining what is influential in the extinctions. This paper will consider the timing of relevant climate and human events and then evaluate five explanations for the …showed first 75 words of 1954 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1954 total…climatic catastrophe. Ecological stresses have more credibility as resulting in the extinctions because they can local and general, and over varying periods of time. The timing of climatic and human events is very important in determining the influence of each on the extinctions. The timing of the extinctions is the most crucial question regarding its cause. The variable timing of the extinctions necessitates more data about the extinctions and climate to formulate a satisfactory explanation.