Interactions with Megafauna

Megafauna were a prominent feature of the biodiversity of Sahul. They were still diverse when people reached Sahul but had largely disappeared by about 40,000 years ago. Several studies provide evidence that, before their extinction, megafaunal animals were exploited by people, but such evidence is rare. This rarity of evidence could indicate that interaction was infrequent or that evidence of significant interaction is missing because of weaknesses and biases in the palaeontological and archaeological records. The timing and pattern of disappearance of megafauna suggest that humans played a role in their extinction, but more research is needed to understand the nature of human impacts on megafauna and the synergistic or independent effects of climate.