was unleashed leading to an onslaught of theories regarding its potential effect on our future. But what impact did humans have thousands of years ago when they were first colonizing North America? The question of what caused the extinction of megafauna during the Late Pleistocene period is one that archaeologists have struggled to answer for decades, but why should it matter? Discovering with certainty the cause of megafaunal extinction would simultaneously prove or disprove any of the proposed
societies have expanded rapidly, developing innovative ways to defend their territories and migrate across the land. Consisting of an aggregate of humans living together, these societies became more powerful as time progressed by consuming more meat (megafauna). Supporting this development, the more mammals that humans would eat, the more protein their bodies would absorb. When humans consume high amounts of protein, they develop stronger muscles, which leads to the stimulation of brain activity. By way
The re-wilding of North America is basically a conservation strategy (Donlan 2005), aimed at restoring the Pleistocene era (Donlan 2005, Rubenstein et al. 2006). This could be achieved by reintroducing African and Asian megafauna, these species are phylogenetically known to be direct descendents of the extinct Pleistocene species or animals of similar taxa (Donlan 2005, Rubenstein et al. 2006). Re-populating North America is essential for both ecological and evolutionary potential (Donlan 2005)
The sloths of today are different from their ancient ancestors. They have shrunk in size and speed in comparison to the sloths the past. The ancient Megatherium americanum measured roughly 4 meters long from tail to head and had a shoulder height of 2.25 meters (Argot, 2008). A modern-day descendant of M. americanum is the Southern two-toed sloth, also known as Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) and it pales in comparison to its ancestor in size. Of course, the M. americanum isn’t the
The Pleistocene epoch was a time period of almost 2 million years of repeating glaciation around the globe. This epoch was known for its megafauna that roamed the Earth during the last great ice age. Although this was a time of mass extinction for species that could not adapt to the climate changes, many mammals and vertebrates that can be identified today were found during this time (Zimmermann, 2013). The Pleistocene epoch is an important foundation for understanding life that exists today, including
The hippopotamus is a very unique and interesting species. I don't believe that pollution is a major factor when it comes to the affect on Hippopotamuses in east Africa. Pollution is a major factor when it comes to life on many places in the world. However, I don't believe that pollution necessarily affects Africa as much as it does other parts of the world such as, for an example, California. Many people believe that pollution is killing animals world wide. To some extent this is actually
The land of snickers is an extravagant place. Sloths run wild, ravaging through land masses, trying to find all of the remaining potatoes in the land. There were very few colonies of potatoes left, but sloths loved potatoes. Yet one night every week they sit down and read a boring story called the boring story. A boring story is about a boy who is reading his sister a very boring story and because the boring story is boring she sleeps and dreams and the story is even more boring in her head. The
The documentary, “Raising the Mammoth”, discusses the journey that a group of scientists take in order to find and raise an extinct woolly mammoth from the tundra. This video relates to what we learned in class about fossils and discovery for many reasons. One way that this video relates to our studies in class is because the scientists discussed all of the different ways that the fossil of the mammoth can aid in discovering new information about it’s life. In the video they discussed how they knew
While Marlow is in Africa, he travels to the Inner station to meet the Great Kurtz, the man Marlow has been hearing about since he first arrived at the coast. After going through all the dangers with his steamboat, he survives the journey and meets Kurtz in person. However, Marlow finds out that Kurtz was not the great person he had heard from others, but a mad man. Kurtz was an ill man, who was near his death. After Kurtz dies, Marlow leaves Africa and returns to Belgium to meet one of Kurtz's close
On a day to day basis, most people take for granted the lives we get to live, and put too much value on the extra things such as materialistic items. Also, the majority of humans are too invested in their personal lives or with themselves that they do not look at the big picture of how what we are doing now will effect us later. As humans, the routines in our lives can bring us harm, and within time a we may become the sixth extinction. In “The Sixth Extinction” by Elizabeth Kolbert, she gives many
When asked what makes a person human, it is not long before someone broaches emotions. Makes sense right? We know how to love, feel the sting of jealousy, and recognize the bitterness of sadness. But this is not what sets humans apart from animals. The most intelligent of animals have the same emotional complexity. However, one difference is that people pay to see these animals enslaved against their will for entertainment. A change needs to occur in the policy of holding non-human persons in captivity
WORK INTRODUCTION Theoretically, mammoths could be cloned by recovering, reconstructing or synthesizing viable mammoth DNA and injecting it into the egg cell of a modern elephant whose nuclear DNA has been removed; alternatively, mammoth genetic material could be introduced into an elephant genome in order to create a mammoth-elephant hybrid or chimera. The possibility of bringing extinct animals back to life has fascinated people for years. While something like Jurassic Park is unlikely, Pleistocene
species such as beaver and wolves which are capable of re-organising the whole ecosystems through the predictor behavioral effects (Donlan et.al. 2005). As revolutionary scientific ideas began to develop, it brought about the idea bringing back the megafauna such as lions and elephants to North America have created a very heated debate. In contrast the concept, termed ‘Pleistocene Rewilding’ is considered as a succession of carefully managed ecosystem manipulations that would counter the pest-and-weed
of meat from the megafauna (Horton and Wright 1981). To date, there has not been any archeological discovery that has been found which from fossil record predicts that humans might have been killing and eating the megafauna and depleting the supply of food for Thylacoleo carnifex. From the fossil record, we can only describe how the animal could have lived and its diet. There is not yet enough evidence that proves that humans killed off the lions. However, like most of the megafauna that died off after
Lake Mungo Information Report By Jemimah Hulme Introduction Lake Mungo is a dried up lake, located in the southwest of New South Wales. It is 90 kilometres west of Mildura, and 760 kilometres northeast of Sydney. It contains many historical artefacts which help us to understand how the Aboriginal People used to live. The purpose of this report is to illustrate Lake Mungo's importance and why it must be preserved. This report will cover Lake Mungo's history and historical findings, and how it can
Early Humans and their Environment Humans have been present on this Earth for nearly 3.5 million years when “Homo erectus” first evolved with an upright posture enabling the use of hands (Ponting). “Homo erectus” evolved into “Homo sapiens” one hundred thousand years ago and both lineages lived in small, mobile groups. For nearly two million years, their way of life was based around hunting and gathering food until ten to twelve thousand years ago when agriculture evolved. Early humans depended
Humans are the only life that has been able to harness fire for our own benefit, clearly setting us apart from the other species on the Earth. The impact of fire and the extinction of megafauna truly show the tremendous difference humans were beginning to show in the environment around them, however, this narrative is only told by looking at the soil. From the origin of farming to the collision of the old and new world to the testing of
The Relationship Between Humans and the Environment Nearly everything that a human does is in response to the environment. Our lives are defined by what is around us and what we find in front of us, whether this means accepting, dealing with or changing it. This has been the pattern since primates first stood up and became Homo erectus, and has continued until we considered ourselves doubly wise. The shape of the land affected where humans moved. Weather was something with which to contend.
up and the sabre tooth cat and the traits specific to this animal are depictions worth noting for their accuracy. First, the period depicted in this tale takes place about 20,000 years ago. A time when dinosaurs no longer roamed the earth but megafauna, large vertebrates, was abundant. Vertebrates in this group inc...
the area surrounding Tucson Arizona is said to have been prehistoric “Paleo-Indians.” They arrived in southern Arizona approximately twelve thousand years ago. It is likely that the migration of these people from Asia was due to their following megafauna, or large animals such as giant beaver, musk ox, mastodons, Wooly mammoths, and ancient deer, along ice-free corridors. “Paleo-Indians moved as nomadic bands, following the seasons, carrying their belongings, and finding shelter where they could