Mysterious disappearance of island’s pygmy wildlife after 'potential catastrophe'
Ancient remains of dwarf megafauna were uncovered in the limestone caves of Cyprus, prompting debate over what killed them off.
Today the island of Cyprus is the third most populated island in the Mediterranean. But before the arrival of humans 14,000 years ago it was thriving with very different, tiny mammalian inhabitants.
While the island is now home to relatively few mammals, inside limestone caves there’s evidence of an exotic-looking 150kg dwarf hippo — similar to Thailand’s internationally famous Moo-Deng — and a 500kg dwarf elephant.
They were apparently relatively easy to catch for the new arrivals and rather tasty, and earlier this year researchers found compelling evidence that hungry humans killed them off. But how big that population was, and how quickly they did so, has remained a mystery until now.
Scientists believe the arrival of humans was “potentially catastrophic” for the two species because they evolved from larger species and became isolated on an island away from lions and other big cats, they became naive to the threat of predators.
The small hippos had flatter faces than the aquatic species we know today. They were the first to be killed off, followed by elephants whose ancestors are believed to have been the now extinct straight-tusked elephant which inhabited Europe and Western Asia.
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How quickly were the hippos and elephants killed off?
Researchers led by Australia’s Flinders University used data from palaeontology and archaeology in computer modelling, and calculated their extinctions could have easily occurred within 1,000 years of palaeolithic hunter-gatherers arriving on the island which was 11,000 square kilometres at the time.
Analysis of human energy demand, diet composition, prey selection, and hunting efficiency found a population of between 3,000 and 7,000 people could have wiped them out.
How sure are scientists that humans wiped out the megafauna?
Lead author Professor Corey Bradshaw said the results provide “strong evidence” that these palaeolithic people were at least partially responsible for the extinctions. Because there were only two megafauna on the island and they inhabited a relatively small area, a small population could have quickly wiped them out.
“The main determinant of extinction risk for both species was the proportion of edible meat they provided to the first people on the island,” he said. “Our research lays the foundation for an improved understanding on the impact small human populations can have in terms of disrupting native ecosystems, and causing major extinctions even during a period of low technological capacity.”
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