Could early humans have caused extinction of Cyprus’ dwarf hippos

Scientists have uncovered a mystery surrounding the extinction of dwarf hippos and dwarf elephants that once roamed Cyprus before the arrival of the first humans.

During the Late Pleistocene, Cyprus was home to two large animal species — the 500kg dwarf elephant (Palaeoloxodon cypriotes) and the 130kg dwarf hippo (Phanourios minor). Both species disappeared shortly after humans arrived on the island around 14,000 years ago.

A study, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation for the MIGRATE project, suggests that Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in Cyprus could have driven the extinction of these species in less than 1,000 years.

The research, led by Professor Corey Bradshaw of Flinders University in Australia, challenges earlier theories that small human populations could not have caused such rapid extinctions.

Researchers used mathematical models combining data from palaeontology and archaeology to examine whether human hunting practices could be the primary cause of the extinctions.

The models, which incorporated human energy requirements, diet composition, prey choice, and hunting efficiency, indicated that the 3,000 to 7,000 hunter-gatherers estimated to have lived on the island during that time were likely responsible for the extinction of both species.

“Our results provide strong evidence that early populations in Cyprus were at least partly responsible for the extinction of megafauna during the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene,” said Bradshaw. “The decisive factor in the extinction risk was the amount of edible meat the animals provided to the first humans on the island.”

The study also highlighted the potential impact even small human populations can have on local ecosystems, causing large-scale extinctions even with limited technological capabilities.

The research aligns with the chronological sequence of megafauna extinctions, as established by available paleontological data.

According to Dr. Theodora Moutsiou, who also took part in the research study, Cyprus is an ideal location to test these models due to its isolated environment, which offers a unique window into how the arrival of human populations may have led to the extinction of native species.

Previous findings by Bradshaw, Moutsiou, and their colleagues indicated that large groups of hundreds or thousands of people could have arrived in Cyprus during two to three major migration events within a span of less than 1,000 years.