Fossils Discovered in Caribbean Cave Reveal Humans were a Bigger Threat Than Climate

It turns out that humans had more of an impact on the Caribbean than we might have thought. Scientists have discovered nearly 100 fossil species in a flooded cave in the Bahamas that reveals the true story of the history of the islands.

In this latest study, the researchers examined the fossil species found on the island. Interestingly, 39 of the species discussed no longer exist on Great Abaco Island. Of those, 17 birds likely fell victim to changes in climate and rising sea levels around the end of the Ice Age about 10,000 years ago. Another 22 species, though, persisted until humans arrived on the island about 1,000 years ago.

"What we see today is just a small snapshot of how species have existed for millions of years," said Dave Steadman, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The species that existed on Abaco up until people arrived were survivors. They withstood a variety of environmental changes, but some could not adapt quickly or drastically enough to what happened when people showed up. So there must be different mechanisms driving these two types of extinctions. What is it about people that so many island species could not adapt to? That's what we want to find out."

The researchers actually plan to return to the island in order to further study the type of changes that the species experienced there.

"When humans change habitats at a rate that local species cannot keep up with, that can very quickly result in the losses," said Hayley Singleton, one of the researchers. "Likewise, even small climate changes can affect migration and significantly impact habitats. So, you can have the perfect storm where climate and human-driven changes are occurring at the same time, like we're seeing in places around the world today."

Related Stories

Climate Change: Long-Term Effects on the Himalayas

NASA Watches the El Niño of 2015 That May be the Strongest in Years

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).