Extinction of eastern Sahul megafauna coincides with sustained environmental deterioration

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15785-w
• Publication Date: 2020-05-18T01:02:27Z
• Authors: Scott A. Hocknull; Richard Lewis; Lee J. Arnold; Tim Pietsch; Renaud Joannes-Boyau; Gilbert J. Price; Patrick Moss; Rachel Wood; Anthony Dosseto; Julien Louys; Jon Olley; Rochelle A. Lawrence
• Keywords: Megafauna; Extinction (optical mineralogy); Sclerophyll

Abstract Explanations for the Upper Pleistocene extinction of megafauna from Sahul (Australia and New Guinea) remain unresolved. Extinction hypotheses have advanced climate or human-driven scenarios, in spite over three quarters lacking reliable biogeographic chronologic data. Here we present new north-eastern Australia that suffered sometime after 40,100 (±1700) years ago. Megafauna fossils preserved alongside leaves, seeds, pollen insects, indicate a sclerophyllous forest with heathy understorey was home to aquatic terrestrial carnivorous reptiles megaherbivores, including world’s largest kangaroo. species diversity is greater compared southern sites similar age, which contrary expectations if extinctions followed proposed migration routes people across Sahul. Our results do not support rapid synchronous human-mediated continental-wide extinction, timing peak events. Instead, coincide regionally staggered spatio-temporal deterioration hydroclimate coupled sustained environmental change.