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Extinctions in Near Time pp 57–69Cite as

The Interaction of Humans, Megaherbivores, and Habitats in the Late Pleistocene Extinction Event

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Part of the book series: Advances in Vertebrate Paleobiology ((AIVP,volume 2))

Abstract

The extinction pulse during the late Pleistocene exhibited the following special features: (1) extinction likelihood was strongly dependent on body size, (2) the severity of the extinctions varied markedly between continents, and (3) extinctions were associated in time with the appearance of humans, and also with a period of climatic and hence habitat change (Owen-Smith, 1987). Causal explanations must be judged by their ability to predict these patterns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for African Ecology and Department of Zoology, University of the Witwatersrand, 2050, Wits, South Africa

    Norman Owen-Smith

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  1. Norman Owen-Smith
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  1. Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, 10024, New York, New York, USA

    Ross D. E. MacPhee

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Owen-Smith, N. (1999). The Interaction of Humans, Megaherbivores, and Habitats in the Late Pleistocene Extinction Event. In: MacPhee, R.D.E. (eds) Extinctions in Near Time. Advances in Vertebrate Paleobiology, vol 2. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5202-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5202-1_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3315-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-5202-1

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