Genyornis newtoni and Dromaius novaehollandiae at 30,000 b.p. in central northern New South Wales

Abstract

Fossil remains of Genyornis newtoni and Dromaius novaehollandiae recovered from horizons at Cuddie Springs, in central northern New South Wales, are securely dated to greater than 30,000 b.p. Genyornis newtoni and D. novaehollandiae were found in sequential layers in association with artefacts of human occupation and other species of megafauna. Palaeoenvironmental information indicates the specimens of G. newtoni were deposited when the region supported an arid vegetation community, principally chenopod shrubland with scattered Eucalyptus and Acacia species. The appearance of Dromaius and disappearance of Genyornis coincided with a local shift to grasslands and the drying of the Cuddie Springs lake. New evidence is presented for the persistence of Genyornis in the arid zone during the lead up to the Last Glacial Maximum.