an Interdisciplinary team of scientists presented a new study showing that the first inhabitants of modern Australia coexisted with the huge animals, including giant lizards and kangaroos.
original article appeared in the portal, ScienceAlert, and the study published in the journal Nature Communications.
Scientists have studied the fossil bones of animals found in Australia over the last 10 years. They came to the conclusion that the first settlers of this continent had to live next to a very formidable neighbors.
When people first arrived in present Queensland, they probably stepped on the land, where dwelt the ancestors of modern lizards with a length up to six meters and the giant kangaroo, which was two times taller than a man.
As explained by the authors, the bones were found on aboriginal land Barada-Barna, located approximately 100 kilometers West of the city of Mackay. They were discovered in the mine South Walker Creek.
today found the remains of at least 13 extinct species. Many of them are new to science species. The analysis showed that these creatures lived in the tropics of Australia in the period 60-40 thousand years ago.
At that time they were the largest land animal since the dinosaurs. Scientists conducted detailed studies of the very land on which the bones were found, to understand, what was the local environment in the past.
it Turned out that the fauna of Northern Australia is significantly different from the southern fauna, first of all, the size of the local inhabitants. Until now it was believed that giants, including some types of huge crocodiles, extinct long before the appearance on this earth.
But the researchers argue that at least in one area of Australia they existed 40-60 thousand years ago. This age turned out to be fossils. So, scientists found the remains of not only a six-meter lizard, like a modern Komodo dragons, but also the “armor” of the crocodile that lived on land.
in addition, were found the remains of a rather strange mammal – a giant wombat with horns, marsupial bear-sloth, huge kangaroos and wallabies.
for Example, the biggest kangaroo found weighed about 274 kilos. This individual was larger than all known kangaroo any time period, including kangaroo-Procoptodon goliah Goliath. By the way, the species was previously unknown, but the names he had not yet received.
However, the record among naidennykh mine fossil mammals has established a three-ton marsupial diprotodon, and the most dangerous creature of that period scientists have named the marsupial lion Thylacoleo species. It is noteworthy that these extinct giants coexisted with other members of the megafauna extant: EMU, red kangaroo and saltwater crocodile.
Why are these giants you��ri? Scientists believe that the blame not the people, as one would suspect. The investigated sites showed that humans and giants have coexisted for thousands of years. Extinction occurred around 40 thousand years ago.
the timing of the extinction of giant animals coincide with a period of significant climate change in the region. Excavations have shown that the average air temperature is gradually increased, increase in wildfires, reduced the area of vegetation and access to water was restricted.
As the authors write operation, the combination of these factors could be fatal for a giant terrestrial and aquatic species. Although it is clear that the debate about the extinction of the megafauna will last for years to come.
