Archaeologists initially thought early humans were the cause of Australia's "megafauna" extinction. However, new discoveries reaveal that it was actually climate change that wiped out so many of these strange species of animals. The country's ancient history is being rewritten as we speak with each new find at a site in Queensland.
Paleontologist Dr. Scott Hocknull and his team have been excavating the South Walker Creek site for the better part of a decade in order to unearth the truth about what went down 600,000 years ago. They revealed fossils of 16 new species, one of which was a previously undiscovered mega-kangaroo. However, there was no evidence of human settlement like they'd initially thought.
Scientists debated for years whether it was human involvemet or climate change that led to the demise of Australia's megafauna. Hocknull said that the involvement of humans on some part of the continent could not be ruled out, "But the current understanding for the east coast is climate was a very key player in the extinction of these species," he said.