Earth Sciences

Climate change, not human population growth, correlates with Late Quaternary megafauna declines in North America

M. Stewart, W. C. Carleton, et al.

Explore the intriguing findings of Mathew Stewart, W. Christopher Carleton, and Huw S. Groucutt as they challenge conventional views on North American megafauna extinction. Their innovative analysis reveals a surprising link between global temperature drops and declines in these prehistoric giants, instead of a direct connection to human activity.

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Abstract

The extinction of North American megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene is a debated topic. This study uses a new Bayesian regression technique (Radiocarbon-dated Event-Count [REC] Modelling) to analyze the largest available database of megafauna and human radiocarbon dates. Results show no persistent relationship between human and megafauna population levels, but a correlation between decreasing global temperatures and megafauna population declines, challenging the 'overkill' hypothesis.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Feb 16, 2021

Authors

Mathew Stewart, W. Christopher Carleton, Huw S. Groucutt

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