page_title: Quaternary extinction event
section_title: The Pacific (Australasia and Oceania)
hierarchical_section_title: Quaternary extinction event / Extinctions by biogeographic realm / The Pacific (Australasia and Oceania)
caption_attribution_description: Procoptodon goliah, the giant short-faced kangaroo that lived during the Pleistocene in Australia, pencil drawing, digital coloring
context_page_description: The Quaternary period saw the extinctions of numerous predominantly megafaunal species, which resulted in a collapse in faunal density and diversity and the extinction of key ecological strata across the globe. The most prominent event in the Late Pleistocene is differentiated from previous Quaternary pulse extinctions by the widespread absence of ecological succession to replace these extinct species, and the regime shift of previously established faunal relationships and habitats as a consequence.
  The earliest casualties were incurred at 130,000 BCE. However, the great majority of extinctions in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas occurred during the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene epoch. This extinction wave did not stop at the end of the Pleistocene, continuing, especially on isolated islands, in human-caused extinctions, although there is debate as to whether these should be considered separate events or part of the same event.
  Among the main causes hypothesized by paleontologists are overkill by the widespread appearance of humans and natural climate change.
context_section_description: In Sahul (a former continent composed of Australia and New Guinea), the sudden and extensive spate of extinctions occurred earlier than in the rest of the world. Most evidence points to a 20,000 year period after human arrival circa 63,000 BCE, but scientific argument continues as to the exact date range. In the rest of the Pacific (other Australasian islands such as New Caledonia, and Oceania) although in some respects far later, endemic fauna also usually perished quickly upon the arrival of humans in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. This section does only include extinctions that took place prior to European discovery of the respective islands.
  The extinctions in the Pacific included:
  Various members of Diprotodontidae
  Diprotodon (giant relatives of the wombats)
  Euowenia (diprotodont)
  Euryzygoma dunense (diprotodont)
  Hulitherium tomasetti (diprotodont)
  Maokopia ronaldi (diprotodont)
  Nototherium (diprotodont)
  Zygomaturus ("marsupial rhino")
  Palorchestes ("marsupial tapir")
  Various members of Vombatidae
  Lasiorhinus angustidens (giant wombat)
  Phascolomys (giant wombat)
  Phascolonus (giant wombat)
  Ramasayia magna (giant wombat)
  Vombatus hacketti (Hackett's wombat)
  Warendja wakefieldi (dwarf wombat)
  Phascolarctos stirtoni (giant koala)
  Marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex; marsupial apex predator)
  Various members of Macropodidae
  Procoptodon (hoof-toed, giant short-faced kangaroos) e.g.
  Procoptodon goliah
  Sthenurus (giant kangaroo)
  Simosthenurus (giant kangaroo)
  Various Macropus (giant kangaroo) spp. e.g. 
  Macropus titan
  Macropus pearsoni
  Protemnodon (giant wallaby)
  Troposodon (wallaby)
  Bohra (giant tree kangaroo)
  Propleopus oscillans (omnivorous, giant musky rat-kangaroo)
  Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus; extirpated on mainland Australia and New Guinea)
  Various forms of Sarcophilus (Tasmanian devil)
  Sarcophilus laniarius (25 % larger than modern species)
  Sarcophilus moornaensis
  Sarcophilus harrisii (extirpated on mainland Australia)
  Zaglossus hacketti (giant echidna)
  Megalibgwilia (oldest known echidna, same extinction period)
  Pygmy Cassowary (Casuarius lydekkeri)
  Genyornis newtoni (a three-meter-tall (9.8 ft) dromornithid, often referred to in vernacular as 'the last thunder bird')
  Tasmanian nativehen (Tribonyx mortierii; extirpated on mainland Australia)
  Giant malleefowl (Leipoa gallinacea)
  Several Phoenicopteridae spp.
  American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber; extirpated in Australia)
  Xenorhynchopsis spp. (Australian flamingo)
  Xenorhynchopsis minor
  Xenorhynchopsis tibialis
  Ocyplanus proeses (Australian flamingo)
  Ikanogavialis (the last fully marine crocodilian)
  Pallimnarchus (Australian freshwater crocodile)
  Quinkana (Australian terrestrial crocodile, apex predator)
  Wonambi (a five-to-six-metre-long Australian constrictor snake)
  Megalania (Varanus pricus) (a giant predatory monitor lizard)
  Several spp. of Meiolaniidae (giant armoured tortoises)
  Meiolania
  Ninjemys
  Sylviornis (giant, flightless New Caledonian galliform; largest in existence)
  Noble megapode (Megavitornis altirostris)
  Giant Megapodius spp.
  Pile-builder megapode (Megapodius molistructor)
  Consumed scrubfowl (Megapodius alimentum)
  Viti Levu scrubfowl (Megapodius amissus)
  New Caledonian ground dove (Gallicolumba longitarsus)
  Viti Levu giant pigeon (Natunaornis gigoura)
  Marquesas cuckoo-dove (Macropygia heana)
  New Caledonian gallinule (Porphyrio kukwiedei)
  Various Galliraillus spp.
  Various Coenocorypha spp.
  New Caledonian snipe (Coenocorypha miratropica)
  Viti Levu snipe (Coenocorypha neocaledonica)
  Lowland kagu (Rhynochetos orarius)
  Niue night heron (Nycticorax kalavikai)
  Several Accipiter spp.
  Powerful goshawk (Accipiter efficax)
  Gracile goshawk (Accipiter quartus)
  New Caledonian barn owl (Tyto letocarti)
  Mekosuchus (two meters long, last fully terrestrial crocodile, South Pacific Islands)
  Volia (a two-to-three meter long mekosuchine crocodylian, apex predator of Pleistocene Fiji)
  Several giant Iguanidae spp.
  Lapitiguana
  Brachylophus gibbonsi
  All Dinornithiformes spp.
  Giant moa (Dinornis)
  Upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus)
  Bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiform
caption: Procoptodon goliath reconstruction
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