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Comment
. 2001 Jun 8;292(5523):1888-92.
doi: 10.1126/science.1060264.

New ages for the last Australian megafauna: continent-wide extinction about 46,000 years ago

R G Roberts  1 , T F Flannery, L K Ayliffe, H Yoshida, J M Olley, G J Prideaux, G M Laslett, A Baynes, M A Smith, R Jones, B L Smith
Affiliations
Comment

New ages for the last Australian megafauna: continent-wide extinction about 46,000 years ago

R G Roberts et al. Science. .

Erratum in

  • Science 2001 Jul 6;293(5527):49b

Abstract

All Australian land mammals, reptiles, and birds weighing more than 100 kilograms, and six of the seven genera with a body mass of 45 to 100 kilograms, perished in the late Quaternary. The timing and causes of these extinctions remain uncertain. We report burial ages for megafauna from 28 sites and infer extinction across the continent around 46,400 years ago (95% confidence interval, 51,200 to 39,800 years ago). Our results rule out extreme aridity at the Last Glacial Maximum as the cause of extinction, but not other climatic impacts; a "blitzkrieg" model of human-induced extinction; or an extended period of anthropogenic ecosystem disruption.

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Comment in

Comment on

  • Archaeology and Australian megafauna.
    Field J, Fullagar R. Field J, et al. Science. 2001 Oct 5;294(5540):7. doi: 10.1126/science.294.5540.7a. Science. 2001. PMID: 11588221 No abstract available.

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