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Megafauna are generally defined as those species animals whose average adult weight exceed 100 pounds (44 kg). The term is also used to refer to particular groups of large animals, both to extant species and, more often, those that have become extinct in geologically recent times.
Megafauna animals are generally K-strategists, with great longevity, slow population growth rates, low death rates, and few or no natural predators capable of killing adults. These characteristics make megafauna highly vulnerable to human exploitation. Many species of megafauna have become extinct within the last million years, and, although some biologists dispute it, human hunting is often cited as the cause.
"†" denotes extinct megafauna