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Genyornis

Genyornis (Genyornis newtoni) was a large, flightless bird, which lived in Australia until about 50,000 years ago. Many species became extinct in Australia at around that time, coinciding with the arrival of humans.

A study has been performed1 where more than 700 Genyornis eggshell fragments were dated. Through this means, it was determined that Genyornis declined and became extinct over a short period of time -- too short for it to be plausibly explained by climate change. The authors considered this to be a very good indication that the entire mass-extinction event in Australia was due to human activity, rather than climate change.

See also: History of Australia

References

  1. Miller GH, Magee JW, Johnson BJ, Fogel ML, Spooner NA, McCulloch MT, Ayliffe LK., Pleistocene extinction of genyornis newtoni: human impact on australian megafauna (1999), Science 283, 205-8