The ABM focuses on megaherbivore extinction by considering multiple dimensions (e.g., environmental changes, human interactions, herd-related features, and animal-related features). The key elements of the model are fodder availability, seasonality, relative animal food, animal fecundity, hunter lifespan, animal lifespan, relative hunting danger, and energy required to move within the environment. The key agents are the animal and the human hunters to investigate how these dynamic interactions impact extinction. The model’s environment is a 211x211 matrix, each patch represents the daily traversal distance of the animal in km2 (i.e., it can be scaled according to the animal). There are two parameters: the scenario and the number of ticks (time duration) The simulation considers two scenarios, environmental patchiness or animal fecundity. The maximum ticks can be set to determine the time interval (i.e., how long to evaluate). The model uses embedded logic to determine the hunter strategy based on energy cost and availability. These agents do not reproduce and have two parameters. The first is the energy loss per movement and the second is hunter mortality. Unlike hunters, animals can reproduce and this probability is a parameter that can be controlled. Offspring have a nursing period, which is another parameter that can be changed. During this interval, the female that is nursing has an increased food value. These animals move as a herd and similar to hunters have a mortality rate. For the animals, this probability increases based on age with a parameter for the maximum age, but an additional mortality parameter for non-hunter predation. The environment also changes over time based on the two parameters fodder density and fodder regrowth time. The modeler can control whether these areas are fixed or expanded, and whether growth is restricted by season.

Based on the simulation, the number of foragers remains constant at 20 throughout the simulation. In the initial phase, the total energy of foragers has a large variability between 2000 and -5,000. For the animals, there number of males and females killed, including postpartum, sharply increase within the first 500 steps from 0 to 80-120. The number of births is constant for the first 750 steps at 0. The number of deaths and number of both females and males are inversely related. The number of animals in general follows a rapid decline towards 0 by step 500-1,000. The total energy of the animals follows similar trends to the number of animals alive with a sharp decrease to 0 within the first 500-1,000 steps. The percentage of green patches shows an initial decrease of about 2 at the simulation start. It increases by one and then sharply declines to 23 by approximately step 400

In the middle, the total energy of foragers converges by the 1,000th step. It continually decreases in a linear fashion to around -25,000 by step 1,500 from approximately -5,000. For the animals, there number of males and females killed, including postpartum, appears constant by the 1,000th step with the number between 100 and 120. The number of births ranges between 1 and 10 births with some individuals having multiple pregnancies (i.e., births at different steps). The number of total animals, the total energy of males and females, are constant near 0. The percentage of green patches shows a consistent trend around 34 with 2-3 sharp decreases that are half in magnitude compared to the previous decrease at approximate intervals of 400 steps ranging from a decrease of 2-6 percent.

Overall, the ending of the simulation is quite similar to the middle for many variables. At the end, the forager total energy continually decreases from approximately -25,000 to -40,000 at the end of the simulation. For the animals, there number of males and females killed, including postpartum, it remains constant with the number between 100 and 120. The number of births remains constant with no new births. The number of total animals, the total energy of males and females, are constant near 0. The total energy of the animals follow similar trends to the number of animals alive. The pattern for the percentage of green patches continues with constant values of 34 with a slight decrease every 400 steps. At this stage of the simulation the decrease is only 1-2 percent.