At twice the size of a wedge-tailed eagle, the newly discovered Dynatoaetus gaffae would have competed with thylacines and Tasmanian devils for prey.
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Articles on Megafaunal extinction
Displaying 1 - 20 of 29 articles
A puzzle over the identity of an extinct bird that laid eggs across Australia has been solved.
The findings will help us better understand how biodiversity responds to a changing climate over time.
The Earth has had at least five major ice ages, and humans showed up in time for the most recent one. In fact, we’re still in it.
Permafrost in the Yukon is a treasure trove of ancient environmental DNA, but climate change threatens these rich historical archives.
Our research shows dire wolves lived in the tropics not the Arctic, and were not especially close relatives of the grey wolf.
Several theories have suggested either humans, climate change or both drove megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia. Our newest work suggests otherwise.
Stone tools found in a cave in Mexico have archaeologists rewriting the human history of the Americas.
The extinct Mukupirna - which translates to ‘big bones’ - is estimated to have been more than four times larger than any living wombat.
These megafauna were the largest land animals to live in Australia since the time of the dinosaurs.
The historical record is full of surprises – and it could encourage conservationists to think more creatively.
Overhunting of megafauna such as mammoths may have force us to take up farming, ultimately leading to modern society
A drying climate and the arrival of people together finished off Australia’s megafauna.
After the woolly mammoth and other megafauna became extinct, surviving animals mingled less. This has big implications for modern conservation.
Long-standing assumption that humans killed large mammals 4.5m years ago has been debunked by researchers – but some experts still think humans played a part in the demise of biodiversity
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.
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.
Top contributors
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Professor of Wildlife Conservation, University of Tasmania
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Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University
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ARC Laureate Fellow, University of Adelaide
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Lecturer in Palaeontology, The University of Queensland
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Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Technology Sydney and Chief Investigator of ARC Centre for Excellence in Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Technology Sydney
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Associate Professor, Vertebrate Palaeontology Group, Flinders University
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Research Fellow in Ecology for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University
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Deputy Director, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University
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Professor, Pangea Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
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Professor in Evolutionary Biology (jointly appointed with South Australian Museum), Flinders University
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Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor, Southern Cross University
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Lecturer in Ecosystem Ecology, University of Oxford
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Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Archaeology, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland
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Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Otago
