Table 1 Megafauna species within MIS 3 from South Walker Creek and other Fitzroy River basin sites compared with species lists from other similarly-aged regions of Australia.

From: Extinction of eastern Sahul megafauna coincides with sustained environmental deterioration

Region

TAS

SW-WA

Lake Eyre Basin

Murray-Darling Basin

Fitzroy River Basin

Sites

   

Willandra Lakes

Ned’s Gully

Cuddie Springs SU6A + B

SW9

SW3

SWCC

SWJ

Other sites

Chronometric ages (ka)

A or A* ages in bold

48– ~41

n = 12

50-41 ± 2 n = 12

47.5 ± 2.5

n = 11

>33– <36

n = 3

47 ± 4

n = 2

~35 ka– >45–~50

n = 5

40.1 ± 1.7

n = 24

47.0 ± 3.2

n = 5

58.2 ± 6.1

n = 2

<65.6 ± 2.2 a

n = 6

<50

Dating Criteria rating11

A–A*

A

A + A*

A + B

A

A* + B

A + A*

A

A

A

N/A

†Progura (egg shell)

MeH

  

–

        

Megafauna

            

†Genyornis

McH

     

–

     

Dromaius sp.

McH

–

–

–

  

–

Y

–

   

†Pallimnarchus sp.

MC

      

Y

–

–

–

b

Crocodylus sp. cf. C. porosus

MC

      

Y

–

–

  

† ‘Quinkana’ sp.

MC

       

–

–

–

 

†Varanus sp. (large)

LC

      

Y

–

  

c

†Varanus priscus

MC

      

Y

–

–

–

 

Macropus fuliginosus

MeH

 

–

         

Macropus giganteus

MeH

 

–

   

–

     

†Macropus titan

McH

Y

–

  

Y

–

     

†Macropus sp. (giant)

McH

      

Y

–

–

–

 

†Notamacropus sp. (giant)

McH

      

Y

–

–

 

b

Osphranter rufus

MeH

     

–

 

–

   

†Protemnodon sp.

McH

Y

Y

  

d

–

Y

–

–

  

†Sthenurus sp.

McH

     

–

     

†Procoptodon sp.

McH

 

Y

  

d

   

–

  

†Simosthenurus sp.

MeH

–

2spp

         

†Phascolonus gigas

McH

    

d

–

Y

    

†Sedophascolomys sp. cf. S. medius

MeH

      

Y

–

  

b

†Diprotodon optatum

MH

    

Y

–

Y

–

   

†Zygomaturus trilobus

MH

 

–

 

?Y

      

?b

†Palorchestes sp.

McH

      

Y

    

†Thylacoleo sp.

MC

 

–

  

d

 

Y

    

Extinct Megafauna

 

3

7

0

7 (+2 uncertain)

13 (+1 uncertain)

Extant Megafauna

 

2

3

1

3

3

Total Megafauna species

 

5

10

1

10 +2 uncertain

16 +1 uncertain

  1. Megafauna listed are from sites within the last 50 ka that have been reliably-dated with an A or A* rating using defined rating criteria11 (see Methods). Those with equivocal B-ratings are discussed in the Methods. Y denotes the youngest reliably-dated megafauna from each region. Megacarnivore (MC) (>100 kg)113; Large carnivore (LC) (21.5–99 kg)113; Megaherbivore (MH) (>1000 kg)114; Macroherbivore (McH) (100–1000 kg)114; Mesoherbivore (MeH) (10–100 kg)114.
  2. TAS Tasmania, SW-WA Southwest Western Australia, spp species, ka thousands of years.
  3. †Extinct.
  4. aOldest site at SWC (SWJ) included for completeness.
  5. bUndated Upper Pleistocene fauna from Quaternary sites (Kemmis and Homevale) close to SWC included for completeness.
  6. cDated occurrence (30–<50 ka) of a large-bodied varanid from Capricorn Caves, FRB115, B-rated116.
  7. dTaxa from Ned’s Gully locality without direct association with dated fossil layer108, B-rated.
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