Original subtitles

HUGH JACKMAN: Ice Age Australia,

home to giant and bizarre animals known as megafauna.

Herds of wombat-like herbivores roam vast grasslands...

..living alongside kangaroos with strange short faces.

And ruling this land, the apex predators...

..heavily armoured giant lizards

and a marsupial killing machine armed with bone-crushing jaws.

These majestic animals lived here for millions of years.

These majestic animals lived here But in a blink of time...

But in a blink of time...

(ROARS)

..they were wiped from the face of the earth.

So what happened?

Today, experts are gathering clues

from remote and inhospitable parts of Australia.

There's been 12 people on the moon, and 10 people in this cave.

This place is like nowhere else in the world, really.

This place is like nowhere else This is pretty bloody good.

This is pretty bloody good.

These scientists are testing the leading theories

These scientists behind this disappearance.

behind this disappearance.

Is this the smoking gun behind this disappearance.

Is this the smoking gun that explains

Is this the smoking gun the megafaunal extinctions?

the megafaunal extinctions?

New evidence will rewrite Australia's Ice Age cold case.

What killed Australia's giants?

The flooded sinkholes dotting the landscape

of regional Mount Gambier, in South Australia, The flooded sinkholes dotting the landscape

of regional Mount Gambier, in South Australia,

of regional Mount Gambier, are the keepers of secrets,

are the keepers of secrets,

are the keepers of secrets, holding vital clues about an animal

holding vital clues about an animal

lost in one of the most mysterious holding vital clues about an animal

lost in one of the most mysterious extinction events

lost in one of the most mysterious in Australia's prehistory.

in Australia's prehistory.

Yeah, look, it doesn't get too much more extreme than this, I guess.

Yeah, look, it doesn't get too much more extreme than this, I guess. Palaeontologist Julien Louys

Palaeontologist Julien Louys

heads up a crack team of palaeo sleuths

on a perilous expedition through the underwater passages of Tank Cave.

Their mission is to gather evidence of a once-mighty beast.

Joseph Monks is the dive team leader.

On record, there's probably only about 10 people in the world Joseph Monks is the dive team leader.

On record, there's probably only about 10 people in the world

that have actually seen this area,

so more people have actually been on the moon.

There's been 12 people on the moon and 10 people in this cave.

All good?

Just make sure we're safe, we look after each other.

JULIEN LOUYS: Safety first, science second.

This unforgiving maze has already claimed the lives of two divers.

This unforgiving maze has already But for the scientists,

But for the scientists,

the chance to solve the riddle But for the scientists,

the chance to solve the riddle of the megafaunas' demise

the chance to solve the riddle makes it a risk worth taking.

makes it a risk worth taking.

So, we're following the guide line

through these interconnected So, we're following the guide line

through these interconnected chambers and passages.

We're utterly reliant on our torches and our light sources

to keep track of each other and to keep safe in these caves.

After 90 minutes, they reach a chamber called the Bone Room.

Beyond the threshold, a scene to set any palaeontologist's heart racing.

An ancient treasure-trove of megafauna remains.

These remains have not been touched

since the animals died These remains have not been touched

since the animals died and were deposited.

Exciting stuff.

But then the most exciting find of all...

..an unmistakable upper tooth

of Australia's most deadly ancient marsupial, Thylacoleo.

Emerging from her den, Thylacoleo, the marsupial lion,

Emerging from her den, is on the hunt for food.

is on the hunt for food.

Her strong limbs are not designed to chase,

but razor-sharp claws with a retractable thumb talon

but razor-sharp claws are perfect for climbing trees

are perfect for climbing trees

and for gripping are perfect for climbing trees

and for gripping while she dismembers her prey.

The voracious carnivore stealthily hoists her 130-kilo body...

..poised...

(GROWLS)

..ready for the kill.

(ROARS)

Thylacoleo was the biggest marsupial predator

Thylacoleo was ever to have lived in Australia.

ever to have lived in Australia.

But what kind of predator was it?

What did it eat and what was its hunting strategy?

And just how powerful were those jaws and terrifying teeth?

They're questions that intrigue palaeontologist Aaron Camens

in his quest to understand why such a fearsome animal disappeared.

This is an animal that is like no other that has ever existed.

We have a look at its hands, no other that has ever existed.

We have a look at its hands,

we can see that it's got a big thumb with a claw.

we can see that it's got a big thumb with a claw. Our modern placental predators don't have an opposable thumb,

Our modern placental predators don't have an opposable thumb,

but Thylacoleo was actually able to grasp its prey.

It's got forwards-pointing eyes, like many predators,

so that it has good depth perception.

It's got extremely strong biting muscles

and a very heavily muscled front half.

and a very heavily muscled This is the kind of thing

This is the kind of thing

that we see in animals This is the kind of thing

that we see in animals that are ambush predators.

that we see in animals If we have a look at its teeth,

If we have a look at its teeth,

we can see that it doesn't have big canines

we can see that it like bears or big cats or dogs.

like bears or big cats or dogs.

In fact, it's grabbing onto its like bears or big cats or dogs.

In fact, it's grabbing onto its prey, maybe with its front incisors,

but it's got these big, long premolars

that essentially function like secateurs, or bolt cutters,

to shear through bone and to shear through flesh, as well.

But while studying more than 18,000 bones,

Aaron has found some other important pieces in the puzzle.

We've been searching through collections of fossils

from South Australia, from New South Wales, from Victoria,

in order to try to bring together a collection of bones

that have been bite-marked by Thylacoleo.

So, many of the bones that we've got here are the heel bones

of long-faced macropodine kangaroos that includes some extinct species,

but also the reds and greys that are still alive today.

If we have a look at this bone here,

usually that would be a flat surface at the bottom.

usually that would be a flat surface This big V that we can see here

This big V that we can see here

is actually the result This big V that we can see here

is actually the result of a Thylacoleo premolar.

is actually the result Now, here's a skull of Thylacoleo.

Now, here's a skull of Thylacoleo.

And if we have a look at the jaw here,

And if we have a look we can see that that heel bone mark

we can see that that heel bone mark

fits in very closely we can see that that heel bone mark

fits in very closely with the premolar of Thylacoleo.

What does this tell us about Thylacoleo's hunting strategy?

It is probably chewing on the feet of animals to incapacitate them.

There's not much meat on this bone,

and so the only reason that there would be to bite it

is if you're trying to incapacitate your prey.

But how much force would be needed to produce such deep marks in bone?

To bring the monster to life,

Aaron's team is creating a biomechanical model

Aaron's team of its skull, teeth and jaws.

of its skull, teeth and jaws.

I'll just have to zoom out a little bit,

just to get it in the field of view.

OK, here we go.

So, what we're looking to find out is not how it bit,

but what kind of force was involved in creating the marks that we know

Thylacoleo produced on kangaroo bones.

Using CT scans of partial Thylacoleo skulls,

the scientists can fashion an accurate 3-D-printed replica

the scientists can fashion for testing the bite force.

for testing the bite force.

Nylon mimics the firmness and flexibility of bone,

and high-grade steel, similar to the hardness of tooth enamel,

and high-grade steel, similar is used for the teeth.

is used for the teeth.

OK, so, now we're mounting the XY stage on the skull.

So, this is the real test where we've got the whole dentition

that we're going to put the kangaroo foot into.

And we're going to have a look at how the whole skull reacts.

The kangaroo foot is X-rayed for later comparison.

This is where the bite is gonna happen.

So, I think we can probably do 25-mil a minute.

Yeah. OK.

To see if they can re-create the bone injuries seen in the fossils,

To see if they can re-create the the machine is set to bite down

the machine is set to bite down

with similar strength the machine is set to bite down

with similar strength to that of a tiger.

OK. Fit the foot in.

Alright.

Moment of truth.

Ready, set, go!

(BEEP!)

(BEEP!)

(CLICK!)

What was that? (CLUNK!)

Everything still going? We might have to stop.

(CLUNK!) No.

So, the two mandibles have split apart.

It's not broken, but it needs regluing and remounting.

That's not something that we can get done today.

It's an unfortunate setback,

but Aaron can continue the experiment using just the premolars.

OK.

Alright, let's see how this one goes.

Ready, set, go.

(BEEP!)

(CLICK!)

Crunch.

So, it reached my force limit - four kilonewton.

Really? Yeah.

Really? Oh, wow.

Oh, wow.

So, yeah, this area in here is where that has chomped in.

So, four kilonewtons and it's still not even getting into the bone.

The test indicates that to create the deep marks in the fossil bone,

Thylacoleo's bite force might have been even greater

than that of a tiger.

To explore this further, a scientist from Harvard University

has created a biomechanical simulation of the jaw snapping shut,

including how the muscles work to power the bite.

It suggests the biting force

could have been as high as five kilonewtons,

more like an animal renowned for the strength of their jaws -

the crocodile.

Thylacoleo was without doubt a powerful and menacing carnivore.

So why didn't it survive?

Its primary diet of kangaroo, mainly species still in existence today,

Its primary diet of kangaroo, mainly means they had plenty of food.

means they had plenty of food.

Could it have been a new arrival to the continent

Could it have been a new arrival which caused its demise?

which caused its demise?

It's believed that humans migrated to the Australian continent

It's believed that humans migrated around 65,000 years ago.

around 65,000 years ago.

So what evidence do we have of interactions, if any, around 65,000 years ago.

So what evidence do we have of interactions, if any,

between the Ice Age giants and the first people?

If it didn't rain last night, we could have driven across today.

If it didn't rain last night, But, anyway, that's life, I suppose.

But, anyway, that's life, I suppose.

Kakadu National Park ranger and traditional owner Jonathan Nadji

is hot on the trail.

Although the tropical soils of the Northern Territory

are generally too acidic for fossil bones to survive,

high above the flood plains, the sandstone rock shelters of Ubirr

offer up something even more precious.

So, this area here is basically a special place for my family.

So, this area here is basically a special place for my family. This is where my grandmother was born, and my father.

This is where my grandmother was born, and my father.

This is where my grandmother This area here was the main camp.

This area here was the main camp.

Pretty high, so they can get food, gatherings and stuff like that.

Pretty high, so they can get food, A lot of these paintings represent

A lot of these paintings represent

years and years of living in this shelter.

So, whatever they caught, they basically painted on the wall

to remind people that that's what happened

to remind people that previous years, and stuff like that.

previous years, and stuff like that.

So, most of them represent food.

Fish, wallabies, kangaroos, goannas,

longneck turtle, you name it.

But there's one painting that holds the most intrigue for Jonathan.

This one here.

We've seen a lot of kangaroos and wallabies painting,

but this one here is completely different.

That real big one. See?

It takes a keen eye to pick up the kangaroo

through the multiple layers of images.

You see that emu, there?

That's where the head is.

And you can see the ears there.

It's got, like, spikes on him.

And another thing is the tail.

The tail is so thick at the end.

Never seen anything like that.

I don't know much about dinosaurs and what they call them,

but there's one there where it's short

and it's got a big, stumpy tail.

That's what that one looked like at the end, you know.

It's completely different to the other kangaroo painting.

Even the toes are different.

Looks like it's only one toe sticking out,

where the other one, you got three.

See it?

So, I think it's one of the big kangaroos.

Yeah, the giant one.

Very freaky to see.

Could this possibly be an eyewitness account of the mighty Procoptodon?

More than 2,500km away in Brisbane,

More than 2,500km away in Brisbane, palaeontologist Scott Hocknull has some evidence

palaeontologist Scott Hocknull has some evidence

that could shed more light on the question.

This artwork is intriguing

because the assumption would be that any big kangaroo painted in artwork This artwork is intriguing

because the assumption would be that any big kangaroo painted in artwork

might be from Procoptodon, the giant sthenurine kangaroo.

But, in fact, when you look at the painting,

a lot of the front part of the snout is missing.

So maybe it had a little bit of a longer face,

potentially a pointed snout.

Maybe this is the animal that's been discovered

Maybe this is the animal at South Walker Creek.

at South Walker Creek.

In 2009, a dig team at South Walker Creek,

In 2009, a dig team near Mackay in Queensland,

near Mackay in Queensland,

found the resting place of at least 13 extinct species of megafauna, near Mackay in Queensland,

found the resting place of at least 13 extinct species of megafauna,

found the resting place of at least 13 extinct species of megafauna, kangaroo from the Macropus family.

including a type of giant long-faced kangaroo from the Macropus family.

This extinct species of kangaroo

may well match the paintings that are in Kakadu.

It's very hard to tell for sure

because we don't have all of the skeleton of the fossil animal,

so we don't know how big its head was

or what the shape of the face was like.

But what we do have are its hind limbs.

But what we do have And in the painting,

And in the painting,

the most interesting part of the whole painting, from my perspective,

are the singular claws.

They're very long and thin are the singular claws.

They're very long and thin and very straight.

They're very long and thin Now, that's something very similar

Now, that's something very similar

to what we find in the actual fossil itself.

Now, it's not complete.

It would actually...the whole fossil would be about this long.

And over the top of that would have been

the actual sheath of the claw itself.

So, we're talking about a dagger-like claw

So, we're talking about that's around 15cm long.

that's around 15cm long.

That's exactly what the artist has reconstructed in the painting.

When we look at the tibia,

the shinbone of this gigantic extinct Macropus,

the shinbone of this it's very long and gracile,

it's very long and gracile,

and that's the sort of proportions that I would have expected,

and that's what I see in the illustration.

So that's really exciting.

Was it Procoptodon, the short-faced kangaroo? Maybe.

Was it Procoptodon, But there's no fossil evidence

But there's no fossil evidence

to suggest that Procoptodon was living in the tropics.

But this one was, the giant Macropus.

So, look, the debate is going to rage for years,

because who's going to know for sure?

What we do know is there was an overlap of more than 20,000 years

between the arrival of humans and the disappearance of megafauna.

At the end of the day, the painting basically tells us

that they were here and they used to live here.

We share the same time.

We just have to basically, I suppose, you know,

scientists and Indigenous people sit down together and talk about it

and, you know, find out what really happened.

Aboriginal people are the people to interpret their past.

But it's exciting to me as a palaeontologist to see

that this artwork could well be represented by the fossils

that have been discovered at South Walker Creek.

And that's exciting, because what that does

is it connects both culture and science

in a storytelling about Australia's past,

when these gigantic animals roamed our world.

But did megafauna coexist peacefully with humans...

..when some were truly fearsome creatures?

The rolling sea of grasslands and farms

The rolling sea of Queensland's Darling Downs

of Queensland's Darling Downs

is a very different place to 50,000 years ago.

Now only the rich black soil bears witness to the ancient beasts

Now only the rich black soil that once roamed the land.

that once roamed the land.

Oh, wow.

Jeez, you've got some eagle eyes, Ian.

Jeez, you've got some Sometimes you get lucky.

Sometimes you get lucky.

OK, let's have a go, Sometimes you get lucky.

OK, let's have a go, see what we can find.

Amateur palaeontologist Ian Sobbe has scoured this channel for fossils

for almost 50 years.

Have a look, see what you reckon.

Big kangaroo again. Yeah.

The last 20, he's collaborated with palaeontologist Gilbert Price,

trying to piece together the story of megafauna in this area.

It'll need to be a lot cleaner before we can tell.

This nondescript-looking site has been a rich vein

This nondescript-looking site for fossil records since the 1840s.

for fossil records since the 1840s.

The sediments that we have around us here were deposited many years ago,

The sediments that we have around us 100,000 years, 120,000 years,

100,000 years, 120,000 years,

something like that, in that time frame.

something like that, in that time frame. And what we've got today is a modern creek channel

And what we've got today is a modern creek channel

that has cut back down through those ancient palaeo channels,

as we call them, exposing bone and fossil shells

and a whole bunch of things like that.

And just behind us there now is a couple of areas

where we found some really good Megalania over the years.

This is Megalania.

Megalania is a world record breaker

for being the largest land lizard that ever existed.

It was an absolute massive killing machine of Australia's ice ages,

and one of the apex predators in the time of the Pleistocene.

Megalania stomps from its forest lair.

Almost six metres long and broad-chested,

Megalania's size and strength means almost any animal was potential prey.

(HISSES)

It's mating season, and another male (HISSES)

It's mating season, and another male has trespassed into his territory.

It's mating season, and another male (HISSES)

(HISSES)

The two males size each other up.

(SCREECHES)

Neither backs down.

(SCREECHES)

By understanding the traits and behaviours

of these extinct giant beasts,

scientists can work out the everyday threats they faced

and what might have caused their demise.

Such an impressive collection.

I mean, this must be the Megalania kind of graveyard

for all of the Australian continent, so...

Ian has made some of the most important Megalania discoveries

in the region.

He's catalogued more than 700 fossils.

35 of them are the bones of the giant reptile.

Well, I don't think there's anything else quite like it. 35 of them are the bones of the giant reptile.

Well, I don't think there's anything else quite like it.

Well, I don't think there's anything else quite like it. The interesting part is there now seems to be research

The interesting part is there now seems to be research

that's indicating that all of these animals evolved in Australia

and then moved to South-East Asia, as opposed to the traditional view

which had them moving in the opposite direction.

So, Australia appears to be the breeding ground

of these very large animals.

So, they are really, truly, uniquely an Australian beast.

I just got some comparative stuff for Megalania

I just got some comparative stuff just with a local goanna.

just with a local goanna.

I just thought it might be interesting to try and show

I just thought it might be the size difference that we've got.

the size difference that we've got.

Bloody hell, THAT'S insane. Yeah.

Just really highlights the absolute size difference of these vertebra,

just how massive these beasts were.

Wow.

I bet you'd give your firstborn to find a bit more of this beast too.

You would, you would.

This is one of the two frontal bones

that I managed to find quite some years ago now.

But, interestingly, it's got this heavy crest

across the top of the skull,

which doesn't show up in any of the modern goannas.

The skull is quite flat in that area.

The skull is quite flat It's so different.

It's so different.

We really don't know It's so different.

We really don't know why that occurs.

Whether it's the sexual dimorphic thing,

Whether it's only in males, you know.

only in males, you know.

If they did any headbutting

as part of the mating routine, and all that sort of thing,

as part of the mating routine, they may have needed that.

they may have needed that.

So many mysteries, I guess, with things like Big Meg here.

Exactly. We just plain don't have enough material.

We need people to go out there and find some more of them.

We need people to go out there Yeah, yeah, for sure, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, for sure, yeah.

So, what other clues

can Megalania's closest relative provide us with today?

Komodo dragons are actually venomous,

which most people don't even realise.

And if you have a look at the tooth of Komodo dragon,

you can see that it's got these kind of channels

that come down through the side of the tooth itself.

And that's probably maybe the equivalent

to, like, a fang of a snake itself, so for injecting the venom.

Now, as it turns out, Megalania is nestled into that little corner

of the family tree that includes things like Komodo dragons

of the family tree that includes and other venomous goannas.

and other venomous goannas.

Because of that, by indication, it means that Megalania

must have been venomous, which is a really mind-blowing discovery.

That's probably the biggest tooth that I've got,

That's probably the biggest even though the tip's broken.

even though the tip's broken.

There's a modern goanna, again. Mmm, wow.

There's a modern goanna, again. Yeah, just amazing how big they are.

Yeah, just amazing how big they are.

And those grooves Yeah, just amazing how big they are.

And those grooves are incredible, aren't they?

Incredible. Built for killing.

Something we do know is Megalania was just one in a gang

of armed and dangerous beasts.

But were they animals to be hunted or avoided by humans?

When we piece together Ice Age Australia,

when the first people arrive,

we have reptiles and mammals

that had evolved in isolation for tens of millions of years.

They had unbelievable weaponry and amazing defence systems.

So just imagine what that would have been like

to encounter these animals for the first time.

We're talking about predators that were armed to the teeth,

and these teeth were honed and evolved

for very specific purposes.

They were either grip and rip or they were bite and slice.

The method favoured by the giant crocodile family

The method favoured was your classic blunt force trauma.

was your classic blunt force trauma.

Here we have this massive tooth from a grip-and-rip predator.

So, this is a gigantic freshwater crocodile.

We know what they ate because here we have a bone of one of its prey,

the giant kangaroo, with the telltale signs,

the puncture marks that were made during an attack.

So, their teeth were used to bite into prey,

So, their teeth hold on fast and rip out big chunks.

hold on fast and rip out big chunks.

So, we move from the puncturing teeth to the bite-and-slice teeth,

So, we move from the puncturing and this is Megalania.

and this is Megalania.

Now, the tooth itself was very small,

but they had about 70 of these in their whole jaw.

When you look it up very close under the microscope,

When you look it up very close you can see these serrations.

you can see these serrations.

And that's like a little steak knife.

Imagine 70 steak knives all slicing through flesh all at the same time.

This would create an amazing amount of blood loss, and instant death.

The people arriving on the continent

just wouldn't have experienced The people arriving on the continent

just wouldn't have experienced anything like this before.

just wouldn't have experienced (ROARS)

(ROARS)

It just boggles the mind how you would have potentially

perceived these animals and how you would have responded to them.

But were these terrifying giants hunted for food?

Whether people had an interaction with megafauna

that was deleterious to them, we don't know for sure,

because there's very little, if almost no evidence

of actual butchery on megafauna bones that we can see.

GILBERT PRICE: One thing I would be super shocked about, though,

is that if humans didn't hunt megafauna.

Like, if it was me on an environment that was new and difficult to live,

and I saw a giant lumbering wombat, or a diprotodon,

or a big, slow kangaroo bounding past me,

I would think, "OK, well, let's go and take advantage

I would think, "OK, well, "of this opportunity."

"of this opportunity."

So, it's hard to know.

At least in terms of megafauna in Australia,

At least in terms of megafauna there's no evidence of that.

there's no evidence of that.

But you don't have to travel far

to find evidence that megafauna were on a human hit list. But you don't have to travel far

to find evidence that megafauna were on a human hit list.

Here we've got some of the larger whale remains.

This is a jaw of a blue whale, and of a fin whale.

They're the two biggest whale species in the world.

Alan Tennyson is the curator of vertebrates at Te Papa Tongarewa.

There's some pretty amazing stuff in this room. Alan Tennyson is the curator of vertebrates at Te Papa Tongarewa.

There's some pretty amazing stuff in this room.

There's some pretty amazing stuff But my speciality is birds.

But my speciality is birds.

But my speciality is birds. And the bird bones are stored around the corner here.

And the bird bones are stored around the corner here.

So, this is the largest leg bone of the largest species of moa -

the South Island giant moa, Dinornis robustus.

As you can see, it's absolutely enormous.

I mean, that's as large as a cow bone.

I mean, that's as large They weighed maybe up to 250kg.

They weighed maybe up to 250kg.

They would have stood up to about two metres at their backs,

and then they had a curvy neck

so they could have reached up higher than that.

So, they would have been very impressive birds in life.

This particular animal is about 3,000 years old.

That's a relatively typical age for moa bones that are found.

Most of them are only - only, I say -

a few thousand years old,

commonly found from one end of the country to the other,

commonly found from one end of even to this day.

even to this day.

But despite the imposing size of the flightless bird,

their numbers plummeted after the Polynesian settlement of New Zealand

just 700 years ago.

Humans did have quite a big effect on the environment.

Moa and other large birds were a great food source.

Moa are thought to be very slow breeders,

they took several years before they grew into adult size,

they took several years which is unusual among birds,

which is unusual among birds,

and then they probably laid no more than one or two eggs a year.

And of course, only some of those would have hatched

and the chicks successfully grown up to be adults.

So, it took a long time for moa to raise their young

So, it took a long time for moa and replace themselves,

and replace themselves,

which meant they were particularly and replace themselves,

which meant they were particularly vulnerable to overhunting.

And the effects of that, unfortunately,

were that moa become extinct.

New Zealand is a perfect lab

when it comes to putting humans' role in extinctions under the microscope.

It was the last major landmass on the planet settled by people.

Before that, animals survived climate changes

Before that, animals for millions of years.

for millions of years.

There's reasonable agreement now that people settled this country

There's reasonable agreement now at the end of the 1200s,

at the end of the 1200s,

and large birds like moa were gone within 100 or 200 years of that.

WOMAN: They're still in really good condition, aren't they?

WOMAN: They're still in really good Yeah.

Yeah.

You know, like, for being 3,000 years old, and...

For archaeologist Amber Aranui,

all evidence points in only one direction.

So, this is what's described as a knife, or a blade. all evidence points in only one direction.

So, this is what's described as a knife, or a blade.

And it's thought that this was one of the tools used

to harvest meat from moa.

Here are examples of fishhooks, known as pa kahawai.

So, they were used to catch the kahawai fish.

And we have a really good example here of moa bone

being used for fishhooks and lures.

Amber believes her ancestors were active participants to extinction.

Within our oral histories,

we have clues, or little indicators, that there is a memory of the moa.

So, for instance, we have what are called whakatauki, or proverbs,

and moteatea, which are, like, laments,

and these proverbs and laments, you know, mention moa.

and these proverbs and laments, Interestingly, for the most part,

Interestingly, for the most part,

when they talk about moa, they talk about loss.

So, they're talking about the loss of land or the loss of people

or the loss of a great chief.

And they compare that to the loss of the moa.

There is also one that talks about the koromiko

as being the tree that is used to roast the moa.

And, you know, maybe our people in those days thought that they were

much more plentiful than they actually were.

So, yeah, so, it's quite sad, but it's, you know,

So, yeah, so, it's quite sad, it's comforting to,

it's comforting to,

I don't know, I guess, know that, you know, there is a sadness

from our ancestors at the loss of the moa.

But, yeah, it's, like, we're all sad about it when it's too late.

Unsustainable harvesting by humans

almost certainly drove this big bird to extinction.

There are also cascading impacts across the broader ecosystem

when you take out large animals like moa.

So, this is a very rare skeleton of the largest eagle in the world,

So, this is a very rare skeleton the Haast's eagle.

the Haast's eagle.

This is the talon of a Haast's eagle.

This is actually the size of a tiger's claw.

It had a wingspan about 2.6m.

So pretty massive bird.

And the Haast's eagle became extinct around the same time as moa.

We're not entirely sure why,

but probably because they specialised in eating moa,

and so when there were no more moa to eat, they ran out of food.

Another majestic predator lost to history.

Could Australia's megafauna have suffered the same fate?

Good having that breeze today.

A bit cooler than yesterday Good having that breeze today.

A bit cooler than yesterday and the day before.

My name's Kristian Coulthard, I'm an Adnyamathanha man.

We always have connection to country,

and our home range is predominantly the northern Flinders Ranges,

so from Callabonna and out to Lake Eyre.

So, that's, in a nutshell, Adnyamathanha, yeah.

We're heading up to Warratyi, Warratyi Rock Shelter.

So, we're going to have a look at the adnya -

So, we're going to have a look at the adnya - the old cave, adnya, or house,

the old cave, adnya, or house,

where our people used to live, date back as far as 50,000 years.

And a yamuti... (UTTERS INDIGENOUS WORD)

..the diprotodon bone was found in there,

..the diprotodon bone so it's quite a special spot.

so it's quite a special spot.

Traditional owners of the Adnyamathanha lands

are hosting academics from Flinders University

are hosting academics in a groundbreaking collaboration,

in a groundbreaking collaboration,

including zooarchaeologist in a groundbreaking collaboration,

including zooarchaeologist Cate Sexton.

CATE SEXTON: The project that we're working on at Warratyi

is really new, and it's really exciting CATE SEXTON: The project that we're working on at Warratyi

is really new, and it's really exciting

because it takes traditional knowledge

and it puts it at the forefront of research.

and it puts it at the forefront of research. It leads with these stories and these things that have been known

It leads with these stories and these things that have been known

about country and about the environment and the animals

for thousands of years.

(SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

Roger Johnson (SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

Roger Johnson is an Adnyamathanha elder

and one of the community leaders here today.

and one of the community leaders (SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

(SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

Roger just said, "How are youse all?

"So good to have youse here Roger just said, "How are youse all?

"So good to have youse here on our country."

We come to have a look at the country

We come to have a look and we come here in good spirits.

and we come here in good spirits.

He said that this place here was connected to the yamuti,

which is the diprotodon.

CATE SEXTON: Among other things, Warratyi Rock Shelter

is the oldest archaeological site in South Australia.

Its lowest level is dated to about 49,000 or 50,000 years old.

Its lowest level is dated to But, really importantly,

But, really importantly,

this is the only place so far in Australia

that we've found megafauna remains

from the same time as people were using the shelter.

But just imagine, 50,000 years ago, sitting on this rock ledge here,

there's a beautiful spring running down the creek here, and...

(SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

The old people are watching the country, and the...

The old people are watching (SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

(SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

So, watching him come up the creek and have a drink and maybe browsing,

seeing this big animal... (UTTERS INDIGENOUS WORD)

seeing this big animal... ..grazing and drinking.

..grazing and drinking.

And then you might see the giant kangaroo hop down,

And then you might see because he's in our stories too.

because he's in our stories too.

And then maybe them large flightless birds,

like large malleefowl-type bird that used to live here.

It would be amazing, actually, to see that, and to think

that our ancestors were sitting here, living in this country

49,000 years, practising ceremony, using ochre

49,000 years, and using the same language as us,

and using the same language as us,

that me and Roger and the rest and using the same language as us,

that me and Roger and the rest of the family are using,

Adnyamathanha people are using today.

It's pretty special.

Kristian's father brought an archaeologist to the cave in 2011,

where a juvenile diprotodon bone was discovered.

Yeah, it's, um... this part of it right here.

Oh, yeah. Oh, wow.

Warratyi is a shelter on the side of a cliff,

so it's pretty unlikely that this big four-legged animal

could have lumbered up by itself.

The remains of this animal had to be brought up

The remains of this animal by something else, probably people.

by something else, probably people.

Because of this, the sheer presence of the bone in the shelter

was once considered evidence of human predation.

And there was no tooling marks found.

Nothing that we can see.

Yeah.

But the Adnyamathanha people see things differently.

(SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

Come up here, you mob.

We're gonna sit down and have a yarn.

For thousands of years, Aboriginal people have used yarning circles

to interweave dialogues with others to build respect and share knowledge.

The ancient stories of diprotodon, or yamuti,

paint a very different picture to what's previously been assumed.

MAN: Yamuti was mentioned all through the Flinders Ranges.

It was huge. It was like a big bear.

They reckon it was a dangerous animal.

The old people said, as soon as the sun goes down,

The old people said, the kids used to go to bed,

the kids used to go to bed,

because they had the feeling the yamuti was around to, uh.

..to... (SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE) ..you know?

..to... (SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE) To eat 'em.

To eat 'em.

It's really interesting because

there's no stories of us passed on

of us hunting them

and eating them constantly.

Because we feed them. Yeah.

Because we feed them. Like a common wombat today,

Like a common wombat today,

you know, they can be Like a common wombat today,

you know, they can be quite vicious as well.

So you think about something that's...

So you think about something ..10, 20 times bigger...

..10, 20 times bigger...

Yeah. ..10, 20 times bigger...

Yeah. He's something to fear.

Yeah. And you want to run from him.

And you want to run from him.

Yeah, absolutely, yeah. Yeah.

That's interesting, because you've made me think about it differently

to the way I've thought about it before.

to the way I've thought about it Because I've always assumed

Because I've always assumed

that Aboriginal people would have hunted megafauna like diprotodon,

because there's meat and you might be hungry,

but what you're saying is maybe they didn't.

Maybe they thought, well, "We'll just hunt kangaroo or emu

Maybe they thought, well, "and not mess with them too much."

"and not mess with them too much."

Well, that's right, Claire, because you think about it,

Yuras didn't like to waste things.

So you think about an animal the size of an SUV...

How are we going to process that?

How are we going to cook it? How are we going to keep it?

We didn't smoke methods. We lived subsistence lifestyle.

We didn't smoke methods. We were hunters and gatherers.

We were hunters and gatherers.

CATE SEXTON: The bone We were hunters and gatherers.

CATE SEXTON: The bone that they found up at Warratyi

CATE SEXTON: The bone was from a baby yamuti.

was from a baby yamuti.

Does that change anything? Does that kind of fit...

Does that change anything? It might.

It might.

That might have been opportunistic, It might.

That might have been opportunistic, you know.

"Oh, this is something we can process.

"Oh, this is something "We've got a big mob here." One off.

"We've got a big mob here." One off.

But there was no real stories of us hunting megafauna.

MAN: No. Nothing passed on.

And if it did happen, it would be on a very rare occasion.

And if it did happen, it would be But really, we feared him.

But really, we feared him.

We can look at the skeletons of these animals,

and it doesn't tell us exactly how they behaved at all.

So to hear about how the diprotodon, how the yamuti behaved,

it switches our thinking.

Before maybe we were thinking about it like a big elephant,

a gentle giant moving throughout the landscape.

But actually what we needed to picture it as was a fearsome rhino.

But actually what we needed to (GROWLS)

(GROWLS)

That is a new interpretation

that we can start to test with the material that we have

based on the traditional knowledge.

So what can this knowledge add to extinction theory?

It's a really complex issue.

I think there was definitely some kind of human role

I think there was definitely in the extinction of the megafauna.

in the extinction of the megafauna.

I don't know what that is yet.

But if you can imagine going back 50,000 years

and someone watching an animal behave and writing it down...

..if you could find those writings, if you could find that record today,

..if you could find those writings, it would be a miracle for science.

it would be a miracle for science.

And what we have in knowledge of traditional owners is that miracle.

And it would be...

It would be a crime for science as well as for humanity

It would be a crime for science not to listen to those people.

not to listen to those people.

This is... (SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE).

Our country.

But at the end of the day...

..this is our story together.

You know? all of us.

You can cut there. I want to compose myself a bit.

At the end of the day,

to mix the past with scientific knowledge as well,

it's quite amazing.

And later on we might find something even better.

And later on we might find But at the moment,

But at the moment,

I suppose we watch this space, eh?

See what else comes from it. Yeah.

Megafauna disappearance in Australia

is one of the greatest cold cases in world history.

Humanity is now looking down the barrel

Humanity is now looking of yet another mass extinction event.

of yet another mass extinction event.

Around 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened,

many within decades.

So what can be taken from our interrogations of the past

into this uncertain future?

The climates of Australia have been changing quite a lot

The climates of Australia over many thousands of years,

over many thousands of years,

and it's unlikely that this is over many thousands of years,

and it's unlikely that this is the first rapid change in climate

that the megafauna would have experienced.

The difference between this climate change

might have been the presence of people.

Rapid environmental change took megafauna to the edge.

Rapid environmental change But was it human behaviour

But was it human behaviour

that pushed them over the precipice into oblivion?

GILBERT PRICE: There's an overkill extinction argument that suggests

when humans come into a landmass like Australia,

they come up against a naive fauna

and they basically overhunt things to extinction quite rapidly.

But we've got no evidence of anything like a mass extinction

as soon as humans turn up in Australia.

There's so much more that we need to know.

There's so much more We just simply need more data.

We just simply need more data.

WOMAN: We're dealing with a complex ecosystem.

It makes sense that the answer is probably quite complex.

Trying to understand why animals died out 50,000 years ago

will give us a window into understanding patterns,

and maybe we can project that forward into the future

to help conserve our precious biodiversity.

There's a whole batch of knowledge of thousands of years

that's been developed up by the traditional owners

that's been developed up that will tell us stories

that will tell us stories

that we can then confirm with fossil evidence,

and then piece together all of these amazing stories

and understand the continent that we now all inherit

and understand the continent and appreciate as our own.

and appreciate as our own.

Because those tales of the past will help us understand

how we adapt and change into the future.

how we adapt and change Captions by Red Bee Media

Captions by Red Bee Media

Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation