Megafauna are big (mega) animals (fauna). These are animals that lived in Australia up to 100,000 years ago. They were at least 30% larger than any of their extant relatives. There is significant dispute as to whether the megafauna became extinct due to predation by humans or due to climate change.

The Diprotodon, the largest marsupial believed to have ever lived, was the first fossil mammal described from Australia in 1838. Fossil Diprotodon skulls have since been found in Bacchus Marsh and are currently on display at Museum Victoria.

Ecolinc has trackways featuring footprints of the Diprotodon, the giant kangaroo and giant wombat. The trackways were constructed by Museum Victoria and are currently on loan from Federation University.

Note:

• Maximum number of students for this program is 50 per day.
• This program is strictly 10am-2.30pm and cannot be shortened in time.
• This program is only offered in Term 1 & 4 only.

How do paleontologists use evidence to learn about megafauna and how Earth has changed over time?

In this program students will:

• Understand and predict how megafauna became extinct
• Examine a range of fossil evidence and understand how this can unlock our understanding of the megafauna and their habitat
• Understand how rocks are indicators of how the Earth’s surface changes over time

Students will:

• Unlock the secrets from the past by exploring the rocks in the Ecolinc Geological Trail
• Examine megafauna trackways and discover who passed this way
• Become part of the paleontological team that uncovers megafauna fossils and solves the puzzle of their origin

Science – Science as a human endeavour

• Data from observations obtained through scientific inquiry can be used to develop explanations of natural phenomena (VC2S4H01)
• Scientific knowledge, skills and data can be used by people to explain how they will meet a need or solve a problem (VC2S4H02)

Science – Science Understanding

• Living things have characteristics that distinguish them from non-living things and things that were once living, including fossils (VC2S4U01)
• Rocks, minerals and soils are important Earth resources and have observable properties that enable them to be used in a variety of ways (VC2S4U06)
• Weather events and climate have impacts on the land, air, water and living things; human activity can affect climate (VC2S4U08)

Science Inquiry

• Observations can be used as a basis for posing questions to identify patterns and relationships, and to predict the outcomes of investigations (VC2S4I01)
• Findings can be compared to those of others, including, as appropriate, whether a test was fair or not, to enable conclusions to be drawn, and may lead to the identification of further questions for investigation (VC2S4I05)

The following Learning Continuum is a guide for teachers to show the links between the programs Ecolinc offers onsite, online and through outreach. The Learning Continuum can be used to access Ecolinc resources to support the development of units of work.

Outreach programs are conducted by an Ecolinc education officer at your school. They are available to moderately disadvantaged primary schools in the Geelong, Ballarat and western suburbs areas (or within 100km radius from Bacchus Marsh).