birding-aus

NORTHERN NSW BIRDS

To:
Subject: NORTHERN NSW BIRDS
From: Andrew Taylor <>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:49:30 +1000
On Tue, Jun 19, 2007 at 05:40:46PM +0800, Andrew Hobbs wrote:
> Dingos were introduced and were probably responsible for
> the extinction of some of the larger species soon after their
> introduction.  Since then they have settled into an equilibrium
> with the remaining species

I think you are going well beyond the data.  I've seen 3 species's
mainland extinctions attributed to Dingos : Thylacines, Devils
& Tasmanian Native Hens 

As I understand this is the timeline:

Native Hens became exinct on the mainland < 5000 years BP.
Dingos arrived  > 3500 years BP and < 6000 years BP (DNA)
Thylacines became exinct on the mainland < 3000 years BP.
Devils became exinct on the mainland < 500 years BP.

I can't seen any (quantitive) way you can infer equilibrium has been
reached - no more extinctions - from this data.

Of course, some people suggest none of these extinctions may be due
to the arrival of the Dingo and there is good reason to believe cats &
foxes are more potent threats to our native fauna than Dingos.

Andrew

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU