Extinção sincrônica de mamíferos do Pleistoceno da América do Norte

Synchronous extinction of North America's Pleistocene mammals

J. Tyler Faith a,1 and Todd A. Surovell b

+ Author Affiliations

aHominid Paleobiology Doctoral Program, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, 2110 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052; and

bDepartment of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, P.O. Box 3431, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071

Edited by Steven M. Stanley, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, and approved October 12, 2009 (received for review July 27, 2009)

Abstract

The late Pleistocene witnessed the extinction of 35 genera of North American mammals. The last appearance dates of 16 of these genera securely fall between 12,000 and 10,000 radiocarbon years ago (≈13,800–11,400 calendar years B.P.), although whether the absence of fossil occurrences for the remaining 19 genera from this time interval is the result of sampling error or temporally staggered extinctions is unclear. Analysis of the chronology of extinctions suggests that sampling error can explain the absence of terminal Pleistocene last appearance dates for the remaining 19 genera. The extinction chronology of North American Pleistocene mammals therefore can be characterized as a synchronous event that took place 12,000–10,000 radiocarbon years B.P. Results favor an extinction mechanism that is capable of wiping out up to 35 genera across a continent in a geologic instant.

climate change extraterrestrial impact overkill Quaternary extinctions radiocarbon dates

Footnotes

1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tfaith@gwmail.gwu.edu

Author contributions: J.T.F. and T.A.S. designed research; J.T.F. and T.A.S. performed research; J.T.F. and T.A.S. analyzed data; and J.T.F. wrote the paper.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

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