By analysing fossil and geological records, researchers found that the largest mammals (mammoths, sloths, and saber-toothed cats) disappeared much faster than smaller species in Africa, already 125,000 years ago. By that time, the average size of African mammals had decreased by 50%, and when humans moved out of Africa, extinction of the largest mammals began in newly colonised territories. The researchers did not find evidence of climate changes as the driving force of mass extinction of large mammals, as the large and small species are equally vulnerable to temperature shifts.
Read the full story: University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Scientific publication: Science
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