Researchers have found that sustained hunting by humans played a significant role in preventing the woolly rhinoceros from accessing favorable habitats as Earth warmed following the Last Ice Age. Using computer modeling, an international team of researchers led by scientists from the University of Adelaide and the University of Copenhagen traced 52,000 years of population history of the woolly rhinoceros across Eurasia. This revealed that a combination of cooling temperatures and low but sustained hunting caused the woolly rhinoceros to contract its distribution southward, ultimately leading to its extinction around 10,000 years ago as populations destabilized and crashed.
The woolly rhinoceros, an iconic species of megafauna, once roamed the mammoth steppe of northern and central Eurasia with its thick skin and long fur. The recent discovery contradicts previous research that found humans had no role in the extinction of the woolly rhinoceros, despite co-occurring with humans for tens of thousands of years prior to its extinction. The study, published in PNAS, provided a higher resolution of demographic responses than previous genetic studies, allowing researchers to pinpoint interactions between woolly rhinoceroses and humans and how these interactions changed over time and space, including persistent low levels of hunting by humans, likely for food.
Today, humans pose a similar environmental threat to large animals, pushing populations into fragmented and suboptimal habitats through overhunting and land-use changes. Only eight of the 61 species of large terrestrial herbivores weighing more than one tonne that were alive in the late Pleistocene exist today. Five of these surviving species are rhinoceroses, highlighting the urgent need for conservation strategies to protect vulnerable species like rhinos in Africa and Asia. By studying past extinctions, researchers can provide valuable lessons for safeguarding Earth’s remaining large animals in the face of climate change and human activities.
The findings of the study led by researchers from the University of Adelaide and the University of Copenhagen shed light on how climate change and human activities can lead to megafauna extinctions. The research revealed the critical role that both factors played in the extinction of the woolly rhinoceros and provided insights into how similar threats are endangering large animal populations today. Understanding the interactions between large animals and humans in the past can help inform conservation strategies to protect species facing extinction due to habitat loss, overhunting, and other human-induced pressures.
The study emphasized the importance of considering the long-term impacts of human activities on biodiversity and the environment, especially in light of ongoing climate change and habitat destruction. By studying past extinctions, researchers can gain valuable insights into how to better protect Earth’s remaining large animals and prevent future extinctions. Conservation efforts must take into account the complex interactions between humans and wildlife to ensure the survival of vulnerable species and preserve the planet’s biodiversity for future generations.