Pleistocene extinction of Genyornis newtoni: Human impact on Australian megafauna

More than 85 percent of Australian terrestrial genera with a body mass exce eding 44 kilograms became extinct in the Late Pleistocene. Although most we re marsupials, the list includes the Large, flightless mihirung Genyornis n ewtoni. More than 700 dates on Genyornis eggshells from three different cli mate regions document the continuous presence of Genyornis from more than 1 00,000 years ago until their sudden disappearance 50,000 years ago, about t he same time that humans arrived in Australia. Simultaneous extinction of G enyornis at all sites during an interval of modest climate change implies t hat human impact, not climate, was responsible.