Animal Planet :: Land of Lost Monsters


	SHARE YOUR OPINION What do you think happened to the megafauna? Review the theories below and share your own here. Also, see how our experts responded to your theories and questions in our live discussion on April 28, 2004. Climate? There were five big mass extinctions before the demise of the megafauna, all were associated with drastic global changes. Could this have been the case for the megafauna? Disease? The arrival of humans and the animals they brought with them could have introduced new diseases that may have killed the megafauna. Human Hunting? Archeological evidence in New Zealand and the Americas may prove that humans had a hand in the extinction of megafauna like the moa and mammoth. Combination of Factors? Maybe the triple threat of climate, disease and hunting ended the megafauna's rule on Earth. Join the Discussion Now! To participate in the discussion, you must be a member of My Animal Planet. If you are already a member, you can log in using your current user name and password. We would also like to take time to remind users of this bulletin board about specific requirements as written in our Visitor agreement: "By using the Discovery Sites, you agree not to post or transmit any defamatory, abusive, obscene, threatening or illegal material, or any other material that infringes on the ability of others to enjoy the Discovery Sites or that infringes on the rights of others." Also: "Although Discovery.com cannot monitor all the postings in the chat rooms, forums and other public areas, we reserve the right (but assume no obligation) to delete, move or edit any postings that come to our attention that we consider unacceptable or inappropriate, whether for legal or other reasons."

Meet the Experts

Ted Oakes
Ted Oakes holds a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Oxford University and has worked in Canada, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America as a research scientist with a special interest in megafauna and indigenous people. The assistant producer for Land of Lost Monsters, Oakes is one of the show's original creators. He currently lives in the United Kingdom and works with the BBC Natural History Unit.

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Ken Tankersley
Ken Tankersley is a professor of anthropology at Northern Kentucky University. Ken was heavily involved in the special from the earliest concept stages, throughout filming (ensuring accurate portrayal of early humans), post-production (heavy consulting on CGI renderings) and to broadcast. The author of several books on extinction theories about North American megafauna, he is an expert on such creatures as the mammoth, saber-tooth cat and the lesser-known, but most fearsome of all, short-faced bear.

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