Scientists have debated why these giant animals went extinct. Some think they were hunted by early humans, but there’s little proof of this. Another hypothesis is that extinction of the megafauna was due to climate change.
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. What key details does the Diprotodon model at the Daintree Discovery Centre emphasise about its appearance in ancient Queensland? 2. How does the Diprotodon skeleton at the Melbourne Museum illustrate its size and structure compared to other prehistoric creatures? 3. What insights about Diprotodon’s physical characteristics and environment can we gather from studying both the model and skeleton in these exhibits? SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Source 4 refers to the Yamuti. What was the Yamuti? 2. Why were children told to climb the trees if they saw a Yamuti? 3. How were these stories told?
SOURCE3 (a) A Diprotodon model at the Daintree Discovery Centre, Queensland, and (b) an articulated Diprotodon skeleton at the Melbourne Museum showing its size. a) b)
SOURCE4 Debunking the myth that Aboriginal stories are just myths: The Yamuti and the megafauna Diprotodon Jacinta Koolmatrie is from the Adnyamathanha and Ngarrindjeri peoples in South Australia. She works in museums and shares stories from her ancestors about the land, water and sky. These stories are very old and are told around the fire, through paintings on walls, and in songs and dances. They are very important to her people’s culture and language. When outsiders came, they tried to write down these stories but didn’t always understand them. They called them ‘myths’, which made them seem less important. But for Jacinta and her people, these stories are real and important. As a child, Jacinta heard about the Yamuti, a frightening animal that scared kids. The story said the Yamuti couldn’t look up, so kids were told to climb trees if they saw it. This made kids stay close to their parents and lock doors at night. The Yamuti was described as very big, similar to the Diprotodon , a giant marsupial from long ago. The Diprotodon was huge but probably not dangerous. The story of the Yamuti could be based on real animals like the Diprotodon . Even if the Yamuti isn’t exactly the Diprotodon , the stories are based on real things from over 40 000 years ago. These stories helped keep people safe and still matter today.
2.5.3 Megafauna power The giant reptiles, flightless birds and marsupials of Pleistocene Australia would have provided abundant food supplies and resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The hunting of these giants would have meant that people had to work together and develop specialised hunting weapons and tools. The large size of these Pleistocene animals probably meant that people hunted less frequently, and had less of an impact on Country. Scientists believe that approximately 20 000 years ago the megafauna became extinct. Their extinction and the loss of large prey would have meant that people had to hunt more frequently. They needed to chase the smaller and more agile animals like the kangaroos, wallabies and emus. People also had to adapt their land management practices to deal with a changing climate and geography. The ability to develop new hunting and living skills allowed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to thrive across the continent and islands of Australia from Deep Time to the present.
TOPIC2 Deep Time to modern era 33
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