The second lecture we heard today was about the recent extinctions that have occurred within Madagascar. The interesting thing about most of the extinctions that have occurred is that they mostly affect animals that are considered to be “giant” species, such as elephant birds, hippos, and the Archaeoindros which was a gorilla sized lemur. There are currently considered to be 17 extinct or “subfossil” giant lemurs. A subfossil is a fossil that is so new, they haven’t been fully fossilized. These help scientists figure out a lot about the animal’s pasts. The main question regarding these extinctions is what caused them? Some of the theories include fire, climate change and synergy. Synergy is considered to be the leading theory currently. This theory incorporates both human and natural causes.
By Nick Kane
