#megafauna — Public Fediverse posts

Megaherbivore (Zoology 🦥)

Megaherbivores are large herbivores that can exceed 1,000 kg in weight. The earliest herbivores to reach such sizes like the pareiasaurian reptiles and dinocephalian therapsids appeared in the Permian period. During most of the Mesozoic, the megaherbivore niche was largely dominated by dinosaurs up until their extinction during the Cretaceous–Paleogene e...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaherbivore

#Megaherbivore #Ecology #Zoology #Megafauna #AnimalSize #Extinction

The #prehistoric extinction of large #herbivorous #megafauna in Panama resulted in cascading ecological disruptions, specifically an increase in regional wildfires and a significant decline in plant species reliant on massive animals for seed dispersal.
#Paleoecology #ConservationBiology #Geosciences #EarthScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/es03032601.html

Last year's #aurochs feature is now in the #openArchives. #Free access for all. https://proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2024/12/aurochs-dead-and-alive.html #science #evolution #extinction #domestication #cattle #genome #rewilding #megafauna

#FossilAdventCalendar Day 15

Today we return to the #Nordic countries, specifically to the #Nationalmuseet in #Copenhagen 🇩🇰 to meet the #aurochs (Bos primigenius), the #extinct wild ancestor of modern #cattle. This #bull lived and died over 10,000 years ago in #Vig, on the #Danish island of #Sjaelland, but unlike many #IceAge #megafauna, it survived until surprisingly recently. In #Denmark, it persisted in #Jutland until around 2000 years ago; the last aurochs died in #Poland only in 1627.