Adelaide, July 21 -- A new study conducted by researchers in Flinders University, South Australia, found that mammals in Australia and New Guinea have been hardest hit by extinctions and invasive species over the past 100,000 years.
The study found that the loss and introduction of animals over 10 kg have radically changed local ecosystems, prompting new conservation concerns, according to a statement issued by Flinders University today.
Australia once hosted giants like the Diprotodon, a rhino-sized marsupial, and the Megalania lizard, which have been extinct for tens of thousands of years.
Since European arrival in the 18th century, invasive species such as goats, deer, and pigs have further strained native ecosystems, the s...