Megafauna Extinction: Humans or Climate?

Description:  North America (like Africa today) was once covered with large megafauna (animals weighing more than 100 pounds). This included giant mammoths, ground sloths, and beavers the size of a large bear. However most of these animals disappeared by 11,000 years ago. What was the cause of this extinction? Humans, climate, or a combination of the two? Phenomenon like this can be found around the World and can introduce the idea of human impacts on the environment.

Web Resource:  What Killed the Great Beasts of North America?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/05/18/Dr_Elizabeth_Hadly_Mammals_and_Climate_Change Stanford biologist Elizabeth Hadly recaps a debate among biologists over whether prehistoric megafauna like mammoths, giant sloths and saber-toothed cats became extinct due to overhunting by humans, or by a combination of hunting and a changing climate.