Data from: Anthropogenic extinction dominates Holocene declines of West Indian mammals

The extensive postglacial mammal losses in the West Indies provide an
opportunity to evaluate extinction dynamics, but limited data have
hindered our ability to test hypotheses. Here, we analyze the tempo and
dynamics of extinction using a novel data set of faunal last-appearance
dates and human first-appearance dates, demonstrating widespread overlap
between humans and now-extinct native mammals. Humans arrived in four
waves (Lithic, Archaic, Ceramic, and European), each associated with
increased environmental impact. Large-bodied mammals and several bats were
extinct by the Archaic, following protracted extinction dynamics perhaps
reflecting habitat loss. Most small-bodied rodents and lipotyphlan
insectivores survived the Ceramic, but extensive landscape transformation
and the introduction of invasive mammals following European colonization
caused further extinctions, leaving a threatened remnant fauna. Both
large- and small-bodied nonvolant mammals disappeared, reflecting complex
relationships between body size, ecology, and anthropogenic change.
Extinct bats were generally larger species, paralleling declines from
natural catastrophes.