Megafauna Extinction & De-Extinction
Evaluate the debate over what drove Pleistocene megafauna to extinction — human overkill, climate change, or a combination — using evidence from fossil records, ancient DNA, and archaeological sites; connect to the present-day sixth mass extinction and consider the ethics and feasibility of de-extinction using ancient DNA
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Megafauna Extinction & De-Extinction means practising the idea at the table with a simple hands-on check. We will demo once, then your child tries.
Materials: Fossil photos or a printout of a trackway / skeleton; Pencil and sticky notes. 1. Say the goal of Megafauna Extinction & De-Extinction in plain words once. 2. Adult points to one fossil clue and says what environment or behavior it suggests. 3. Child reads three fossil clues and writes one evidence-based inference each. 4. Fresh check: one fresh fossil-clue inference. Record and stop. Done: three inferences tied to a visible fossil clue. Proof: parent note of examples and results. Stop: End after the fresh check; keep optional challenge for another day.
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Start practiceMegafauna Extinction & De-Extinction practice
Practice key ideas from Megafauna Extinction & De-Extinction.
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Learning resources
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National Park Service · Practice link — not the full lesson
Fossils and Paleontology
Before you open · source notes
Fossils and Paleontology supports Megafauna Extinction & De-Extinction. An adult previews and guides; this is a learning page, not a scored quiz.
Free educational page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner one fact they learned and one question they still have.
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Source, access and review notes
Public National Park Service page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
National Park Service. “Fossils and Paleontology.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
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Check understanding
- Summarises the overkill hypothesis (human hunting pressure) and the climate hypothesis (rapid warming) for Pleistocene megafauna extinction, citing specific evidence for each
- Explains how ancient DNA sequencing from permafrost-preserved specimens provides information about genetics, diet, and relatedness of extinct species
- Evaluates the de-extinction concept — describing what it would take technically and raising at least two substantive scientific or ecological arguments for and against
“If your child heard that scientists are trying to bring back the woolly mammoth using ancient DNA, could they explain what ancient DNA is, what challenges exist, and why some scientists think reviving extinct species might actually help ecosystems?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Meta
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Dinosaurs & Paleontology
- Age range
- Ages 13–14