Megafaunal Extinction: Causes and Controversies

What is the Blitzkrieg hypothesis primarily about?

• The impact of vegetation changes on megafaunal survival.

• The adaptation of megafauna to human hunting in Africa.

• The idea that human hunters caused the extinction of megafauna.

• The role of climate change in megafaunal extinction.

How did vegetation changes during the Pleistocene impact megafaunal extinction?

• They caused the extinction of only plant-eating megafauna.

• They created new habitats that supported megafauna.

• They led to the formation of communities that no longer exist today.

• They had no significant impact on megafaunal extinction.

Why were extinctions in Africa less severe compared to other continents?

• Climate change was less impactful in Africa.

• Humans evolved in Africa, allowing megafauna to adapt to human hunting.

• Africa had fewer megafaunal species to begin with.

• Radiocarbon dating in Africa is unreliable.

What is a major challenge in studying megafaunal extinction in Australia?

• The poor reliability of radiocarbon dating in the region.

• The dominance of vegetation over megafaunal remains.

• The lack of human presence in the region.

• The absence of megafaunal fossils.

What remains a mystery about megafaunal extinction in North America?

• Why vegetation changes were absent in North America.

• Why radiocarbon dating is unreliable in North America.

• Why climate change had no impact on megafauna.

• Why humans only hunted mammoths and not other megafauna.