DEATH OF THE MEGABEASTS

Long after the extinction of the dinosaurs, other extraordinary species of giant beasts roamed the earth - they were the megafauna.  In Australia some of the most bizarre to roam the earth existed including a giant wombat, a huge kangaroo, a massive lizard and the earth’s biggest flightless bird.  For hundreds of thousands of years these were the heavy weight champions of the animal kingdom.

But suddenly, inexplicably they vanished.  Something happened which wiped them off the face of the planet forever.

While there have been several mass extinctions of large terrestrial animals throughout history, the death of Australia’s megafauna is relatively recent. It occurred less than 60,000 years ago and no one knows why. It remains one of the longest running and hotly argued debates in palaeontology. For decades scientific sleuths from around the world have been trying to solve the mystery.

Now in a unique corner of the world, a team of top scientists from around the world attempt to crack one of science’s most enduring mysteries - what killed the megafauna in Australia? Their discoveries could not only help solve the mystery but also offer insight into environmental problems which threaten the world and all life today.

As the scientists begin their quest this extraordinary prehistoric world is brought to life using the latest in high quality 3D animation.

Walk with a giant wombat, the diprotodon; hop with a giant kangaroo, the procoptodon; crawl with a giant lizard, the megalania.  This is the weird and wonderful world of the Australian megafauna.

As the scientific detectives reopen this prehistoric cold case they examine the evidence and search for new clues.  Using the latest advances in science and technology, they look for a “smoking gun” behind the megafauna extinctions and piece together the final moments of some of the strangest creatures ever to have walked the planet.

 As the mystery unfolds, the scientists examine megafauna “case files”. They use cutting edge dating techniques to determine the “time of death” and they investigate possible causes.  Their “suspects” include Ice Ages, climate change, habitat loss, over hunting and other early human activities.  Their conclusion to what killed the megafauna may just offer us all clues to our own future survival.

2009 - Broadcaster: SBS