Hunt History

Although direct butchery evidence is scarce, the timing of Zygomaturus extinction strongly suggests human involvement. Paleoanthropological sites in Australia show evidence of megafauna exploitation, and Zygomaturus—being slow-moving and concentrated in waterholes during dry periods—would have been especially susceptible to ambush hunting or mass drives. Aboriginal oral traditions may preserve faint echoes of encounters with large wombat-like beasts. Most researchers consider overhunting and habitat pressures from human burning practices to be decisive factors in its disappearance.