RNR 2031 Chapter : Steadman D W 2005
Document Summary
Asynchronous extinction of later quaternary sloths on continents and islands. Coincidently, the extinction of sloths happened within the effective range of c14 dating 10,400 40,000 years before present. C14 dating is the main method to legitimize many of the claims made in this article. The article suggests that if predation was the largest contributing factor to the extinction of sloths, then the last appearance dates of sloths should match up with the 1st appearance dates of humans. So to prove whether sloth extinctions happened as a result of human introduction or climate change, carbon dating , or c14 chronology, is used to compare sloth bones from the west indies against well preserved sloth dung from. Humans recklessly killed such a large amount of sloths that it made it impossible for populations to rise causing an inevitable extinction.
