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Megafauna

The term '''megafauna''' (Ancient Greek ''megas'' "large" + New Latin ''fauna'' "animal") has two distinct meanings in the biological sciences. The less commonly found meaning is of any animal which can be seen with the unaided eye, in contrast to '''microfauna'''. The more commonly found meaning, discussed in this article, is of "giant", "very large" or "large" animals — although there is no standard definition of a minimum size. In practice the most common usage encountered in academic and popular writing describes land animals roughly larger than a human which are not (solely) domesticates. The term is especially associated with the Pleistocene megafauna — the giant and very large land animals considered archetypical of Pleistocene glaciation|the last ice age such as mammoths. It is also commonly used for the largest wild land animals surviving today, especially elephants, giraffes, hippopotomus|hippopotomi, rhinoceroses, moose, giant condors, etc. Other common uses are for giant aquatic species, especially whales, any larger wild or domesticated land animals such as larger antelope and cattle, and dinosaurs and other extinct giant reptilians. Some technical definitions of size however go down to as small as 40-45kg (90 lbs)Defense of the Earth. ''Past consequences of climate change: Evolutionary history of the mammals''.Corlett, R. T. (2006). Megafaunal extinctions in tropical Asia. ''Tropinet'' 17 (3): 1–3. and thus encompass a great many animals commonly regarded as not especially large, such as goats and (larger) domestic dogs. The term is also sometimes applied to animals (usually extinct) of great size ''relative to'' a more common or surviving type of the animal, for example the 1m (3 ft) dragonfly|dragonflies of the dinosaur age.

Ecological Strategy of Megafauna

Megafauna — in the sense of the largest mammals and birds — are generally R/K selection theory|K-strategists, with great longevity, slow population growth rates, low death rates, and few or no natural predators capable of killing adults. These characteristics, although not exclusive to such megafauna, make them highly vulnerable to human over-exploitation.

Megafauna Mass Extinctions

The two most well-known mass extinctions of megafauna are the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event in which the dinosaurs and most other giant reptilians were wiped out, and the Pleistocene-Holocene extinction event at the end of the last ice age in which the giant ice age animals such as mammoths were wiped out.

Examples of megafauna

Domestic megafauna

- Alpaca (''Vicugna pacos'')
- Asian Elephant (''Elephas maximus'')
- Caribou (''Ranfiger tarandus'')
- Chital (''Axis axis'')
- Domestic buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis'')
- Domestic Dog (''Canis familaris'')
- Domestic Goat (''Capra aegagrus hircus'')
- Donkey (''Equus asinus'')
- Dromedary Camel (''Camelus dromedarius'')
- Goose (''Anser domesticus'')
- Guanaco (''Lama guanicoe'')
- Cattle (''Bos taurus'')
- Horse (''Equus domesticus'')
- Pig (''Sus scrofa'')
- Llama (''Lama glama'')
- Sheep (''Ovis aries'')
- Turkey (bird)|Turkey (''Melagris gallopavo'')
- Vicuña (''Vicugna vicugna'')

Freshwater megafauna

- Alligator Snapping Turtle (''Macrochelys temminckii'')
- Baiji (''Liptoes vexilifer'') †
- Boto (''Inia geoffrensis'')
- Chinook Salmon (''Oncohynchus tshawtscha'')
- Giant Barb (''Catlocarpio siamensis'')
- Greater Flamingo (''Phoenicopterus ruber'')
- Great Blue Heron (''Ardea herodias'')
- Mute Swan (''Cygnus olor'')
- Prionosuchus †
- Wels Catfish (''Silurus glanis'')
- White Stork (''Ciconia ciconia'')

Hybrid megafauna

- Beefalo
- Cama
- Cattalo
- Leopon
- Liger
- Lijagulep
- Mule
- Pizzly
- Wolphin
- Yattle
- Zorse

Oceanian megafauna

- Antilopine Kangaroo (''Marcopus antilopinus'')
- Australian Pelican (''Pelecanus conspicillatus'')
- Blue Whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'')
- Bryde's Whale (''Balaenoptera brydei'')
- Quinkana|Bluff Down Crocodile † (Quinkana)
- Euryzygoma|Bluff Down Euryzygoma † (''Euryzygoma dunese'')
- Liasis|Bluff Down Giant Python †
- Brolga (''Grus rubicunda'')
- Bush Moa† (''Anomalopteryx didifromis'')
- Propleopus|Carnivorous Kangaroo † (''Propleopus oscillans'')
- Carpet Python (''Morelia spilota'')
- Cassowary (''Casuarius casuarius'')
- Congruus †
- Dingo (''Canis dingo'')
- Diprotodon †
- Eastern Grey Kangaroo (''Marcopus gigantea'')
- Emu (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'')
- Eurapteryx†
- Fin Whale (''Balaenoptera physalus'')
- Genyornis † (''Genyorns newtoni'')
- Simosthenurus|Browsing Kangaroo † (''Simosthenurus occidentalis'')
- Leipoa|Giant Maleefowl † (''Leipoa gallinacea'')
- Ornithorhynchus maximus|Giant Platypus † (''Ornithorhynchus maximus'')
- Giant Koala † (''Phascolarctos stroni'')
- Sarcophilus|Great Tasmanian Devil † (''Sarcophilus laniarius'')
- Protemnodon|Giant Wallaby † (''Protemnodon otibandus'')
- Goanna (''Varanus giganteus'')
- Gould's Monitor (''Varanus gouldi'')
- Humpback Whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae '')
- King Island Emu † (''Dromaius ater'')
- ''Megalania prisca'' †
- Marsupial Lion † (genus ''Thylacoleo'')
- Moa †
- Minke Whale (''Balaeonptera acutorostrata'')
- Haast's Eagle|New Zealand Eagle † (''Harpagornis moorei'')
- New Zealand Giant Penguin † (''Pachydyptes ponderosus'')
- New Zealand white shark † (''Carcharodon angustidens'')
- Ninjemys oweni †
- Orca (''Orcinus orca'')
- Pacyhornis †
- Palorchestes †
- Procoptodon †
- Red Kangaroo (''Marcopus rufus'')
- Saltwater Crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'')
- Sei Whale (''Balaenoptera borealis'')
- Stirton's Thunder Bird † (''Dromornis stirtoni'')
- Thylacine|Tasmanian Tiger † (''Thylacinus cynocephalus'')
- Taniwhasaurus †
- Warrendja †
- Wonambi †
- Zygomaturus †