What two major environmental and demographic factors are implicated in the demise of the marsupial lion?
Answer
Climate change (aridification) and human arrival
The extinction event that claimed Thylacoleo was complex, likely involving two major intersecting pressures. Firstly, significant climate change caused the drying out and aridification of the continent, stressing the landscape and reducing the availability of wetter environments and large prey animals required to support the specialized predator's metabolism. Secondly, this period directly overlapped with the arrival and establishment of modern humans in Australia, introducing significant new pressures through hunting or ecosystem disruption, creating conditions the specialized mega-marsupial could not overcome.
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