Humans Drove Megafauna to Extinction

> They found that large animals began vanishing shortly after humans arrived in new regions, with extinction rates highest where humans were most novel.

> The study reveals that at least 161 species of mammals were driven to extinction during this period, based on the remains found so far. The largest animals were hit the hardest — land-dwelling herbivores weighing over a ton, known as megaherbivores.

> Interestingly, regions where humans had a longer evolutionary history with large animals saw less severe extinction events. In Africa and parts of Asia, where hominins had been present for millions of years, fewer megafauna species went extinct compared to the Americas and Australia. This suggests animals in Africa and Asia may have developed behaviors to avoid human predators over time. The researchers found evidence of human hunting prowess in the archaeological record.

> The researchers conclude that human hunting and ecosystem modification were likely the primary drivers of late Quaternary megafauna extinctions.

[The quoted bits above are not continuous in the article.]

Other than the "animals in Africa and Asia may have developed behaviors to avoid human predators" comment, the article seems oblivious to ways in which routine, natural megafauna behaviors could provoke violent reactions from small groups of primitive humans.

Vs. if they'd talked to a few old park rangers, about (say) human campers in areas with grizzly bears or elephants and tiny African villages... Or read some of the more-famous stories about human/animal interactions in British India. (Say, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jungle_Book ) Or...

Once the humans have good spears - even with heat-hardened wood tips - they will be Bad News for any megafauna which instinctively play the "I'm Far Bigger" card, to muscle in on human resources or settlements. It doesn't matter whether the humans see megafauna as prey. One deep puncture wound, and it's probably Game Over for Mr. Big.