K-P Monitoring Team Discover Giant Wombat
Over the past few weeks there has been much excitement surrounding the discovery of fossilised
bone fragments during downstream construction at the Koondrook-Perricoota Forest Flood
Enhancement work.
The first fragments of fossilised bone were
discovered just before Christmas. Warren Stevens’
initial find didn’t look all that startling, a small piece
of white, crumbling rock that looked like an old,
weathered piece of bone. Not much bigger that a
box of matches ,Warren did well to spot that this
was something different amongst the thousands of
tonnes of dirt being moved to build the levee. A
more intensive search of the immediate area
produced half a dozen similar fragments.
Dr. Colin Pardoe the Project archaeologist inspected
of the finds and site in January confirming them to
be fragments of fossilised bone from a very large
mammal, possibly a species of megafauna. More
exact identification from such fragmented samples
was not possible, what was needed was the
discovery of an identifiable portion. It wasn’t long
before the monitors discovered more material
Figure 1: Dr. Colin Pardoe excavating the large fossil
nearby. Two more locations yielded a quantity of
bone in Koondrook forest
similar size fragments before Jonathon Smith found
the end of what appeared to be a very large, near intact portion of bone protruding from the soil.
Despite being exceedingly fragile, Colin successfully excavation the fossilised bone intact, providing
an excellent opportunity for species identification. Neville Whyman a Barapa Barapa Elder together
with interested landholders David and Mark McConnell were on site to watch the excavation.
Colin then took the fossil to Flinders University Adelaide
museum and for identification by leading palaeontologists and
megafauna experts Rod Wells and Gavin Prideaux. They had
no difficulty in indentifying the fossil as the left femoral shaft
(thigh bone) of Diprotodon optatum, more commonly known
as the “Giant Wombat”. With the males weighing well over
two tonnes and two meters at the shoulder, these were truly
giants of their age and the largest marsupials ever.
A tooth fragment found adjacent to the first fossil discovery,
has also been identified as a fragment of lower first incisor of
Phascolunus medius, another megafauna species similar
though slightly larger, to the modern wombat.
Figure 2: The Koondrook fossil
During construction the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Team have done a wonderful job of
identifying and protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage sites. With 20 new burial sites, 35 stone
artefacts and a 100 other new sites discovered during the works, they have provided a valuable new
view of how the forest was occupied and used.
To this impressive list the fossilised remains of
two megafauna species can be added
Diprotodon optatum, more commonly known
as the “Giant Wombat” and Phascolunus
medius, another megafauna species similar
though slightly larger, to the modern wombat .
These most recent discoveries throw new light
on the prehistoric natural history of the forest
and surrounding area during the Pleistocene
period. Further tests are underway to provide
more information on the fossil such as dating.
Figure 3: Koondrook fossil alongside the femur of a Diprotodon
from South Australian collection
The fossil finds have understandably generated
considerable local interest, therefore the fossil will go on displayed in Barham, in the window at the
Project Info’ Centre together with some general information for the community. After Easter the
fossil will return to Adelaide museum for cleaning and stabilising to ensure preservation and
prevent any damage. Long-term it is hoped the display will be moved to the public library or local
schools where it can be utilised as a valuable resource on local natural history.
Add picture of the monitoring team
Figure 4: A life size model of Diprotodon at the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Fossil Site in South Australia