Key Takeaways:
- 1. Ancient Australians coexisted with giant marsupials and flightless birds around 65,000 years ago.
- 2. Megafauna like the short-faced kangaroo and Diprotodon optatum went extinct around 45,000-40,000 years ago.
- 3. The interaction between humans and the ecosystem varied, with factors like hunting and climate change possibly contributing to the extinction of these species.
Around 65,000 years ago, ancient Australians lived alongside giant marsupials and massive flightless birds. Megafauna like short-faced kangaroos and Diprotodon optatum went extinct about 45,000-40,000 years ago. The extinction of these species may have been influenced by factors such as human hunting and environmental changes. The interaction between humans and local ecosystems varied, leading to debates among archaeologists about the causes of the extinction of Ice Age giants.
Insight: The coexistence and eventual extinction of ancient megafauna in Australia sheds light on the complex interactions between humans and their environment, with factors like hunting and climate change playing a role in shaping ecosystems.
This article was curated by memoment.jp from the feed source: Ars Technica.
Read the original article here: https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/10/the-first-people-to-set-foot-in-australia-were-fossil-hunters/
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