The study, published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution, challenges claims that early human hunters slaughtered prehistoric elephants, mammoths and mastodonts to extinction over millennia. The course of proboscidean evolution changed dramatically some 20 million years ago, as the Afro-Arabian plate collided into the Eurasian continent. Dr Zhang added: "The aim of the game in this boom period of proboscidean evolution was 'adapt or die'. By 3 million years ago the elephants and stegodonts of Africa and eastern Asia seemingly emerged victorious in this unremitting evolutionary ratchet. In our scenario, modern humans settled on each landmass after proboscidean extinction risk had already escalated.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 01, 2021 15:56 UTC