Koala Not a Dwarf of Prehistoric Versions

Dani Cooper, ABC Science Online
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He said on one side dwarfing is viewed as the result of a physiological response to climate-induced changes in habitat and food supplies, while the counter view holds that it was human induced through targeting of larger animals in hunting.

However Gilbert said his study shows that dwarfing itself "has not been fully tested".

"A combination of more intensive physical dating, better stratigraphic control in regard to collecting methodologies, and up-to-date taxonomic information is critical for testing such hypotheses," he wrote. "Until such information becomes available an understanding of the fate of many Late Pleistocene forms, and the origins of many extant taxa, will remain elusive."


Related Links:

Animal Planet

Australian Koala Foundation


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