... Are humans Earth’s biggest enemy? ... The Earth was once populated with enormous beasts, the likes of which we have never seen – from mammoths to giant beavers, and sabretooths to horned tortoises. Over the last two million years many of these giant beasts, known as megafauna, have either been wiped out completely, or replaced by smaller counterparts living side-by-side with an ever increasing human population. The debate on exactly what caused this mass extinction has been raging for years – on one side of the fence, the demise is being blamed on natural climate change, on the other, humans and our carnivorous ways have ‘destroyed’ the world. Earlier this week, St John’s College in Oxford played host to the annual Megafauna conference. The meeting is a chance for experts, zoologists, archaeologists and scientists to debate the demise of these mega beasts and how their disappearance has impacted on how we live today. British environmentalist and writer George Monbiot is outspoken in his belief that humans are to blame for the mass extinction, a theory known as ‘overkill hypothesis.’ He believes there is a direct correlation between humans arriving and populating continents across the globe and the widely-seen demise of many megafauna species. ‘Before Homo erectus, perhaps our first recognisably-human ancestor, emerged in Africa, the continent abounded with monsters. 'There were several species of elephants. There were sabretooths and false sabretooths, and giant hyenas,’ said Monbiot.

... Are humans Earth’s biggest enemy? ...

The Earth was once populated with enormous beasts, the likes of which we have never seen – from mammoths to giant beavers, and sabretooths to horned tortoises.

Over the last two million years many of these giant beasts, known as megafauna, have either been wiped out completely, or replaced by smaller counterparts living side-by-side with an ever increasing human population.

The debate on exactly what caused this mass extinction has been raging for years – on one side of the fence, the demise is being blamed on natural climate change, on the other, humans and our carnivorous ways have ‘destroyed’ the world.

Earlier this week, St John’s College in Oxford played host to the annual Megafauna conference.

The meeting is a chance for experts, zoologists, archaeologists and scientists to debate the demise of these mega beasts and how their disappearance has impacted on how we live today.

British environmentalist and writer George Monbiot is outspoken in his belief that humans are to blame for the mass extinction, a theory known as ‘overkill hypothesis.’

He believes there is a direct correlation between humans arriving and populating continents across the globe and the widely-seen demise of many megafauna species.

‘Before Homo erectus, perhaps our first recognisably-human ancestor, emerged in Africa, the continent abounded with monsters.

'There were several species of elephants. There were sabretooths and false sabretooths, and giant hyenas,’ said Monbiot.