I was thinking about a new AH or FH topic, but upon narrowing it down between an independent Mormonistan (could be an FH or late 19th century POD, but not necessarily plausibly) or this one, I decided.
Consider the factors surrounding recent large animal extinctions and their results. What human activities caused such animals to go extinct? How could the extinction have been prevented? Also, what effect on human affairs would the survival of such animals have?
Before continuing the discussion, it is important to define terms such as "large animal" and "recent."
By large animal, I mean life forms belonging to the kingdom animalia (obviously), of larger than "pest" size. There are plenty of insects, rodents, etc. that may have gone extinct over recent milenia but their extinctions would have gone largely unnoticed before the advent of modern biology and ecology. I am looking for animals, preferably rabbit sized or larger. Unfortunately I do not know enough about recent plant extinctions to speculate, but that would be an interesting topic for a different thread if not this one.
Also, what is meant by recent? By recent I mean no later than the Holocene. Of course, the focus is on animal extinctions caused at least partly by human activities. For the purposes of discussion, no extinctions related to the Ice Ages or their ending please. All such suggestions would best fit in a different thread. For instance, we do not know exactly how most Ice Age megafauna went extinct. Some such extinctions were caused by human hunting, or less directly by human settlement. Others were caused by the natural ecological catastrophes connected to the transition of Ice Ages. I would imagine that MOST such extinctions were caused by a combination, such that in ideal environmental conditions the fauna would have survived all but the very worst human impact, or such that the fauna may have adapted, albeit with difficulty to drastically changing ecosystems, but that human activities pushed them past the brink. [I noticed many people assume that either one of the causal factors must be exclusive, when it is rarely the case!] In either case, the extinctions of such Ice Age fauna as mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths, wooly rhinos, baluchitherium, sabre-tooths, etc. is out of the scope of this discussion.
In lieu of exact dates, I will use the following epochs:
Pleistocene-Holocene Boundary (P-H Boundary)
Roughly from about 11,000 - 3,000 B.C., or 13,000 - 5,000 B.P.
This period was marked by the abrupt end of the Ice Age, the late Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Chalcolithic stages. Some innovations included the development of agriculture and pastoralism in the Middle East, followed by their independent development in China and India. The first permanent major settlements arose in the Fertile Cresent, the Nile, and the Indus Valley.
Ancient Times
Roughly 4,000 B.C. - A.D. 500, marked by the Bronze Age and Iron Age. During this period, the great ancient civilizations of Sumer, Egypt, and the Indus Valley developed, followed later by the Greeks, Chinese, Persians, and Romans. Agriculture developed in South America and Mesoamerica, resulting in the dawning of Mayan civilization.
Medieval Times
Roughly 500 - 1400, characterized by the Dark Ages, feudalism, the Crusades, and the beginning of the Renaissance. The Mayan civilization continued to develop, followed by the Inca and Aztecs.
Medieval/Modern Transition
From the 14th century to the mid 18th century, characterized by the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and age of discovery and exploration. The end of this period was marked by revolutions.
Modern Period
The last two centuries.
As for fauna, any large animal to have gone extinct (a) after the end of the last Ice Age and (b) at least partly due to human activities. Must be a distinct species, subspecies do not count! While it would be intrinsically interesting to discuss both the causes and effects of the various Eurasian subspecies of predatory felines (such as the European lion, the Asiatic lion, Central Asian lepard, the Balinese tiger, etc.) such discussion would go better in a different topic. I prefer to limit the topic to extinct species distinct enough from now-living species to make a noticable impact.
rcduggan is more than welcome to contribute, but could he abstain from sarcasm, sardonic wit, or smartass comments this time?
Unfortunately, I do not have enough knowledge about any recently extinct fauna. Here goes...
DWARF PACHYDERMS
Various species of small relatives of elephants and mammoths living on the Mediterranean islands in the early Holocene.
Location: Mediterranean islands such as Crete, Cyprus, Sardinia, and Sicily. Also found on many Greek islands such as the Cyclades and Dodecanese.
Extinction: P-H Boundary
Cause: Over-hunting by humans?
[Note: I admit that this example might stretch the constraints of my own parameters. After all, these extinctions were prehistoric, and though after the Ice Age, may have resulted from the subsequent warming. For instance, during the last Ice Age, the Black Sea was MUCH SMALLER, the Aegean Sea was somewhat smaller, the Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles were all GONE, being dry land, and many of the Mediterranean islands were a bit larger. Island groups such as the Cyclades and Dodecanese probably consisted of fewer and larger islands, as entire chains became single islands with falling sea levels. The fact that dwarf pachyderm remains are found even on smaller islands fits with their cause of extinction, namely that there was less land to support them. Though dwarf elephants *might* have survived on the largest islands.]
What if they survived: Dwarf elephants may be used as food, beasts of burden and transportation, war (though the military utility of elephants rests on their sheer size and strength. Any dwarf elephant large enough to support a human rider would be slower than an equine.), or pets. The latter option seems most likely, as pachyderms would make excellent companions were it not for their great size. (Think of a pet smarter than a dog but smaller than a horse! Note that selective breeding can perhaps miniaturize elephant-like and mammoth-like creatures further.)
MOAS
Various species of large flightless ratites.
Location: New Zealand
Extinction: Medieval
Cause: Over-hunting by first human invaders of New Zealand, the Maori
How Extinction May Have Been Averted: The Maoris never reach New Zealand. Alternately, some advanced Eurasian nation managed to colonize New Zealand before the Maori.
What if they survived: Moas would have probably made an excellent food source, especially if they are as tasty as ostrich! Also, they might have been used as transportation. Their almost nonexistent wings would have provided plenty of room for human passengers. Alternately, trained moas may have been used as guards.
Note: In Tony Jones' Tellus the Chinese discovered and colonized New Zealand in 457 A.D., when it was then uninhabited. They call the moas Shu-Niao ("tree birds") and domesticate them, after which they are brought back to China and proliferate throughout Eurasia. The Romans call the birds Rocs. They are used everywhere for food, and occasionally, riding.
ELEPHANT BIRD
A gargantuan flightless ratite.
Location: Madagascar
Extinction: Medieval
Cause: Over-hunting by first human invaders of Madagascar, the Malagasi
How Extinction May Have Been Averted: The Malagasi never reach Madagascar. Alternately, some advanced Eurasian, or perhaps African, nation managed to colonize Madagascar before the Malagasi.
What if they survived: Elephant birds would have probably made an excellent food source, especially if they are as tasty as ostrich! Alternately, trained moas may have been used as guards or sentries.
DODO
A large, plump, flightless pigeon relative.
Location: Remote islands of the Indian Ocean
Extinction: Medieval-Modern
Cause: Hunted to death by Portuguese explorers.
How Extinction May Have Been Averted: Europeans never discover Mauritius. Alternately, European explorers attempt to domesticate dodo birds and transplant them in other lands.
What if they survived: Dodo birds would have almost certainly made an excellent food source! The impact on the diet of nations that add dodo eggs and meat to the pantry would be major. Imagine the poultry one may obtain from a 20-kilogram dove-like bird!
Let us all take a moment to thank the Portuguese!
Just kidding! We forgive you... But seriously, how great would it be if Portugal cloned dodo birds!
If somebody can create a timeline which prevents the events leading to the extinction of any of the aforementioned species, and the events following from their survival, that would be impressive! Also, if anyone has any other species to add to the discussion, I am all ears.
Consider the factors surrounding recent large animal extinctions and their results. What human activities caused such animals to go extinct? How could the extinction have been prevented? Also, what effect on human affairs would the survival of such animals have?
Before continuing the discussion, it is important to define terms such as "large animal" and "recent."
By large animal, I mean life forms belonging to the kingdom animalia (obviously), of larger than "pest" size. There are plenty of insects, rodents, etc. that may have gone extinct over recent milenia but their extinctions would have gone largely unnoticed before the advent of modern biology and ecology. I am looking for animals, preferably rabbit sized or larger. Unfortunately I do not know enough about recent plant extinctions to speculate, but that would be an interesting topic for a different thread if not this one.
Also, what is meant by recent? By recent I mean no later than the Holocene. Of course, the focus is on animal extinctions caused at least partly by human activities. For the purposes of discussion, no extinctions related to the Ice Ages or their ending please. All such suggestions would best fit in a different thread. For instance, we do not know exactly how most Ice Age megafauna went extinct. Some such extinctions were caused by human hunting, or less directly by human settlement. Others were caused by the natural ecological catastrophes connected to the transition of Ice Ages. I would imagine that MOST such extinctions were caused by a combination, such that in ideal environmental conditions the fauna would have survived all but the very worst human impact, or such that the fauna may have adapted, albeit with difficulty to drastically changing ecosystems, but that human activities pushed them past the brink. [I noticed many people assume that either one of the causal factors must be exclusive, when it is rarely the case!] In either case, the extinctions of such Ice Age fauna as mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths, wooly rhinos, baluchitherium, sabre-tooths, etc. is out of the scope of this discussion.
In lieu of exact dates, I will use the following epochs:
Pleistocene-Holocene Boundary (P-H Boundary)
Roughly from about 11,000 - 3,000 B.C., or 13,000 - 5,000 B.P.
This period was marked by the abrupt end of the Ice Age, the late Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Chalcolithic stages. Some innovations included the development of agriculture and pastoralism in the Middle East, followed by their independent development in China and India. The first permanent major settlements arose in the Fertile Cresent, the Nile, and the Indus Valley.
Ancient Times
Roughly 4,000 B.C. - A.D. 500, marked by the Bronze Age and Iron Age. During this period, the great ancient civilizations of Sumer, Egypt, and the Indus Valley developed, followed later by the Greeks, Chinese, Persians, and Romans. Agriculture developed in South America and Mesoamerica, resulting in the dawning of Mayan civilization.
Medieval Times
Roughly 500 - 1400, characterized by the Dark Ages, feudalism, the Crusades, and the beginning of the Renaissance. The Mayan civilization continued to develop, followed by the Inca and Aztecs.
Medieval/Modern Transition
From the 14th century to the mid 18th century, characterized by the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and age of discovery and exploration. The end of this period was marked by revolutions.
Modern Period
The last two centuries.
As for fauna, any large animal to have gone extinct (a) after the end of the last Ice Age and (b) at least partly due to human activities. Must be a distinct species, subspecies do not count! While it would be intrinsically interesting to discuss both the causes and effects of the various Eurasian subspecies of predatory felines (such as the European lion, the Asiatic lion, Central Asian lepard, the Balinese tiger, etc.) such discussion would go better in a different topic. I prefer to limit the topic to extinct species distinct enough from now-living species to make a noticable impact.
rcduggan is more than welcome to contribute, but could he abstain from sarcasm, sardonic wit, or smartass comments this time?Unfortunately, I do not have enough knowledge about any recently extinct fauna. Here goes...
DWARF PACHYDERMS
Various species of small relatives of elephants and mammoths living on the Mediterranean islands in the early Holocene.
Location: Mediterranean islands such as Crete, Cyprus, Sardinia, and Sicily. Also found on many Greek islands such as the Cyclades and Dodecanese.
Extinction: P-H Boundary
Cause: Over-hunting by humans?
[Note: I admit that this example might stretch the constraints of my own parameters. After all, these extinctions were prehistoric, and though after the Ice Age, may have resulted from the subsequent warming. For instance, during the last Ice Age, the Black Sea was MUCH SMALLER, the Aegean Sea was somewhat smaller, the Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles were all GONE, being dry land, and many of the Mediterranean islands were a bit larger. Island groups such as the Cyclades and Dodecanese probably consisted of fewer and larger islands, as entire chains became single islands with falling sea levels. The fact that dwarf pachyderm remains are found even on smaller islands fits with their cause of extinction, namely that there was less land to support them. Though dwarf elephants *might* have survived on the largest islands.]
What if they survived: Dwarf elephants may be used as food, beasts of burden and transportation, war (though the military utility of elephants rests on their sheer size and strength. Any dwarf elephant large enough to support a human rider would be slower than an equine.), or pets. The latter option seems most likely, as pachyderms would make excellent companions were it not for their great size. (Think of a pet smarter than a dog but smaller than a horse! Note that selective breeding can perhaps miniaturize elephant-like and mammoth-like creatures further.)
MOAS
Various species of large flightless ratites.
Location: New Zealand
Extinction: Medieval
Cause: Over-hunting by first human invaders of New Zealand, the Maori
How Extinction May Have Been Averted: The Maoris never reach New Zealand. Alternately, some advanced Eurasian nation managed to colonize New Zealand before the Maori.
What if they survived: Moas would have probably made an excellent food source, especially if they are as tasty as ostrich! Also, they might have been used as transportation. Their almost nonexistent wings would have provided plenty of room for human passengers. Alternately, trained moas may have been used as guards.
Note: In Tony Jones' Tellus the Chinese discovered and colonized New Zealand in 457 A.D., when it was then uninhabited. They call the moas Shu-Niao ("tree birds") and domesticate them, after which they are brought back to China and proliferate throughout Eurasia. The Romans call the birds Rocs. They are used everywhere for food, and occasionally, riding.
ELEPHANT BIRD
A gargantuan flightless ratite.
Location: Madagascar
Extinction: Medieval
Cause: Over-hunting by first human invaders of Madagascar, the Malagasi
How Extinction May Have Been Averted: The Malagasi never reach Madagascar. Alternately, some advanced Eurasian, or perhaps African, nation managed to colonize Madagascar before the Malagasi.
What if they survived: Elephant birds would have probably made an excellent food source, especially if they are as tasty as ostrich! Alternately, trained moas may have been used as guards or sentries.
DODO
A large, plump, flightless pigeon relative.
Location: Remote islands of the Indian Ocean
Extinction: Medieval-Modern
Cause: Hunted to death by Portuguese explorers.
How Extinction May Have Been Averted: Europeans never discover Mauritius. Alternately, European explorers attempt to domesticate dodo birds and transplant them in other lands.
What if they survived: Dodo birds would have almost certainly made an excellent food source! The impact on the diet of nations that add dodo eggs and meat to the pantry would be major. Imagine the poultry one may obtain from a 20-kilogram dove-like bird!
Let us all take a moment to thank the Portuguese! Just kidding! We forgive you... But seriously, how great would it be if Portugal cloned dodo birds! If somebody can create a timeline which prevents the events leading to the extinction of any of the aforementioned species, and the events following from their survival, that would be impressive! Also, if anyone has any other species to add to the discussion, I am all ears.