Megafauna

Source: Indian Express

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Context

• The 41,000-year-old ostrich nest discovery in Andhra Pradesh offers significant insights into the extinction of megafauna in India.

Details

Key Points

• Discovery of 41,000-year-old ostrich nest in Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh.
• It is the world's oldest known ostrich nest with 9-10 feet wide and is originally capable of holding 9-11 eggs with the capacity for 30-40 eggs.
• Megafauna
  • These are the animals generally weighing more than 50 kg. It was first used by Alfred Russel Wallace in 1876.
  • Megafauna can be classified into three categories such as mega-herbivores, mega-carnivores and mega-omnivores. Ostriches are mega-omnivores with the weight of 90-140 kg and standing 7-9 feet tall.
• Historical Evidence:
  • Presence of ostriches in southern India 41,000 years ago. Earliest evidence by Richard Lydekker in 1884 in Upper Siwalik Hills (Pakistan).
• Significant Discoveries:
  • In 1989, S A Sali found ostrich eggshell beads in Patne, Maharashtra.
  • In 2017, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) researchers found fossilised eggshells in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat which date backs to 25,000 years.
• Ostriches in India due to Gondwanaland's continental drift.
• Extinction Research:
  • In 2020, a study by Yale University and Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History linked large animal extinction in India to human arrival around 30,000 years ago.
• Co-evolution Hypothesis:
  • It suggests that megafauna extinction linked to coevolution with hominins, geographic isolation and various other abiotic factors.

Ostrich:

• Geographical distribution:
  • Ostriches are native to Africa.
  • However, they were found in Asia and the Arabian Peninsula but they are primarily restricted to Africa at present.
• Habitat:
  • Ostriches are mainly live in savannas, arid and semi-arid regions and open woodlands as they prefer environments where they can run freely to escape predators.
• Conservation Status:
  • The Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus): Least Concern
  • North African Ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus): Critically endangered

Sources:

Indian Express