Mitos (287) - A extinção dos grandes herbívoros africanos não ficou a dever-se ao homo sapiens, mas às mudanças climáticas no passado remoto

«Ancient African herbivores like colossal elephants and antlered giraffes likely died out due to long-term environmental change rather than humans’ appetite for meat, according to a new study in Science. Researchers found that 28 lineages of extinct megafauna began a slow, steady decline 4.6 million years ago as falling carbon dioxide levels prompted deforestation and the expansion of grassland. But humans, long blamed for the extinctions, only began large-scale hunting 50,000 years ago. Today only five species of megaherbivores — those weighing over 2,000 pounds — roam Africa.» (fonte)