18 Facts About Pleistocene megafauna

Pleistocene megafauna is the set of large animals that lived on Earth during the Pleistocene epoch.

Pleistocene megafauna became extinct during the Quaternary extinction event resulting in substantial changes to ecosystems globally.

Pleistocene megafauna include the straight-tusked elephant, cave bear, interglacial rhinoceros, heavy-bodied Asian antelope, Eurasian hippopotamuses, woolly rhinoceros, mammoths, giant deer, sabre-toothed cat, cave lion, and the leopard in Europe.

Extinction of Pleistocene megafauna broadly restructured ecological communities and species interactions.

The extinction of Pleistocene megafauna affected mutualist species, resulting in co-extinctions.

Related searches

In Europe, evidence from the pollen record suggests that Pleistocene megafauna promoted open vegetation with shifting mosaics of forest and grassland, however this hypothesis is debated.

Some extant plants have adaptations resulting from interactions with Pleistocene megafauna, including defenses against Pleistocene megaherbivores, and large fruits adapted to dispersal by megaherbivores.

Where humans appeared on the scene, Pleistocene megafauna went extinct; but at the same time, the climate was warming.

The species of Pleistocene megafauna which were lost in continental Africa are best understood to have been grazers who lived on grasslands.

Megafauna from Africa that had gone extinct during the Pleistocene included Dinopithecus, Gorgopithecus, Parapapio, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, machairodonts such as Homotherium and Megantereon, Makapania, Megalotragus and Pelorovis.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the Pleistocene megafauna species had evolved alongside the different species of hominids present in Quaternary Africa.

Radiocarbon dating suggests that while extinctions followed human arrival in some areas, in other regions Pleistocene megafauna species disappeared before humans arrived or persisted for as long as 3000 years in the presence of humans, suggesting factors other than humans drove extinctions.

Indigenous knowledge of Pleistocene megafauna has survived via oral tradition and representations such as petroglyphs.

Two major events towards the end of the Pleistocene megafauna era had ultimately impacted the species that were inhabiting Eurasia; the last glacial period and the introduction of Homo Sapiens from Old World Africa.

The megafauna extinctions that occurred towards the end of the Pleistocene is believed to be largely due to human hunting and overkill.

Pleistocene megafauna Australia supported the giant short-faced kangaroo, Diprotodon, the marsupial lion, the flightless bird Genyornis, the five-meter long snake Wonambi and the giant monitor lizard Megalania.

Many islands had a unique Pleistocene megafauna that became extinct upon the arrival of humans more recently.

The Canary Islands were inhabited by an endemic Pleistocene megafauna which are now extinct: giant lizards, giant rats and giant tortoises, among others.