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There recently was a new report that focused on an estimate of mountain lions in California, and the number is smaller than many had thought it was. We discuss mountain lion populations with Dr. Veronica Yovovich, conservation scientist at Panthera. ....
Introduced water buffalo and camels trash native plants – don’t they? Our research shows megafauna herbivores have the same impact wherever they are. ....
Isotopes in fossil tooth enamel provide robust tools for reconstructing food webs, which have been understudied in Australian megafauna. To delineate the isotopic composition of primary consumers and understand dietary behaviour at the base of the food web, we investigate calcium (Ca) and strontium (Sr) isotope compositions of Pleistocene marsupial herbivores from Wellington Caves and Bingara (New South Wales, Australia). Sr isotopes suggest small home ranges across giant and smaller marsupial herbivores. Ca isotopes in Pleistocene marsupial herbivores cover the same range as those in modern wombats and placental herbivores. Early forming teeth are depleted in heavy Ca isotopes compared to late-forming teeth of a given individual, suggesting a weaning signal. Distinct Ca compositions between taxa can be interpreted as dietary niches. Some niches conform to previous dietary reconstructions of taxa, while others provide new insights into niche differentiation across Australian herbivores ....
Gigantopithcus blacki, the largest primate to ever walk the Earth, went extinct with no explanation. Now a team of international researchers unraveled the reasons behind its extinction 295,000 to 215,000 years ago. ....