Australian megafauna

Australian megafauna were large-bodied animals that lived on the continent during the Pleistocene and became extinct before or around its end, roughly 11,700 years ago.

Diprotodon: An extinct, rhinoceros-sized marsupial herbivore and the largest known marsupial. Its immense size makes it the best-known example of Australian megafauna.
Quaternary extinction event: A wave of large-animal extinctions during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Australian megafaunal losses form one regional part of this wider pattern.
Pleistocene: The geological epoch from about 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago, marked by repeated glacial cycles. Australian megafauna lived during this epoch and disappeared before or near its close.
Megafaunal extinction chronology: The sequence and timing of large-animal extinctions across regions and species. Australian fossil dates do not establish a single uncontested extinction timeline.
Thylacoleo: An extinct marsupial carnivore, commonly called the marsupial lion. It was a powerful predator among Australia’s Pleistocene megafauna.
Pleistocene overkill hypothesis: The hypothesis that human hunting drove many large-animal extinctions after people entered new regions. It proposes that human arrival and hunting caused Australia’s megafaunal decline.
Australian fossil sites: Places in Australia where fossils preserve evidence of past organisms and environments. Sites such as Naracoorte and Riversleigh document extinct Australian animals.
Human arrival in Australia: The period when people first reached the Australian continent, established by archaeological evidence. Its uncertain timing affects comparisons between human presence and megafaunal decline.
Procoptodon: An extinct genus of short-faced kangaroos, including the largest known kangaroo. Its size and unusual anatomy show how diverse giant kangaroos became.
Climate change: Long-term changes in Earth’s climate, including shifts in temperature and rainfall. Increasing aridity and changing vegetation may have reduced megafaunal habitats and food.

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