Once upon a time there were no people in Australia, and massive animals the size of cars roamed the forests. But after humans arrived, the Australian megafauna population dropped by nearly eighty five percent, and about 45,000 years ago went extinct. The cause of their extinction has been been long debated by scientists, but a new study shows that human activity could be to blame, although some still believe climate change could be a factor(many argue that there isn't any significant change in climate though, at least nothing that would kill a two ton wombat).
Even though the study indicates that human activity was a major factor, intense hunting wasn't what killed these giants. In fact, low-intensity hunting would've done it. An earlier study states that killing a male juvenile every human decade would have an effect on the species' ability to survive. Since they were really really big, the megafauna were vulnerable to hunting due to their low population/reproduction rates. The end.
It's a shame that these guys aren't around anymore. I mean, how rad would it be to see a tortoise the size of a car?! Or a 25ft lizard?! Anyhow, they're gone and now we know why. Good day.
Source: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/193863/20170123/humans-drove-australias-car-sized-kangaroos-and-tortoises-to-extinction.htm
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