Diprotodon
Diprotodon optatum
Diprotodon was the largest marsupial that ever lived.
Meaning of scientific name
Diprotodon = "two forward teeth".
Subspecies
Several species of Diprotodon have been named based on the size of the skull (Diprotodon australis, Diprotodon minor), but the
(Diprotodon optatum).
Statistics
Shoulder height: up to 1.7m (5 ft 7in), Body length: 3m (10ft) from nose to tail. Weight: males 2000 to 2500kg; females 1000kg.
Physical Description
Diprotodon superficially resembled a rhino without a horn. Its feet turned inwards like a wombat’s, giving it a pigeon-toed appe
have been able to dig up roots to eat. Footprints of its hairy feet have been found, so we know it had fur like a horse rather tha
Distribution
Diprotodon is found in sites all over Australia, except in Tasmania.
Habitat
They inhabited forests, open woodland and scrub.
Diet
They were browsing animals, feeding on trees and shrubs. At Lake Callabonna in southern Australia, some Diprotodon have bee
not very nutritious it has been suggested that these animals were starving because of a drought.
Behaviour
They probably lived in small herds—a few dozen individuals at most.
Reproduction
Diprotodon was a marsupial. Skeletons of female Diprotodons have been found with babies in the position where the pouch wo
of the animal, as in wombats, rather than pointing forwards like kangaroo pouches.
Conservation status
They are extinct.
Records
Diprotodons were the biggest marsupial that ever lived, weighing up to 2500kg (slightly heavier than a white rhinoceros).
History
They lived during the Pleistocene. The oldest fossils are about 1.6 million years old. They became extinct sometime between 45
Best place to see
Diprotodon fossils and reconstructions are on display at: the South Australia Museum, Adelaide; the Riversleigh Fossils Interpre
Wonambi Fossil Centre, Naracoorte Caves National Park, South Australia.
Closest relative
Their closest living relatives are the wombats.
Zygomaturus
Zygomaturus tasmanicus
Zygomaturus is an extinct, giant marsupial from Australia's Pleistocene age. The scientific name refers to the broad zygomatic a
the premolar teeth.
It had a heavy body and thick legs and is believed to have been similar to the modern pygmy hippopotamus in both size and bu
and about 1 metre high at the shoulder, with a weight of 300-500 kilograms.
They were four-footed herbivores that might have overlapped in their dietary preferences with the larger kangaroos. Competiti
to the extinction of Zygomaturus and Diprotodon.
It lived in the wet coastal margins of Australia about 19,000 years ago, restricted to south-eastern and south-western Australia,
Diprotodon. This range restriction reflected the preference of Zygomaturus for lush, forested habitats in contrast to the open pl
Some believe that Zygomaturus may have expanded its range toward the interior of the continent along the waterways. It is be
probably ate reeds and sedges by shoveling them up in clumps with its lower incisor teeth.
A Zygomaturus skeleton was donated to the museum early in the 20th century by the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery i
collected the specimen from Mowbray Swamp near Smithton, Tasmania, a Zygomaturus graveyard that has produced the most
Like the other megafaunal giants, Zygomaturus became extinct around 50,000 years ago.
Giant Short-faced Kangaroo
Procoptodon goliah
Description: Procoptodon goliah was the largest of the Pleistocene sthenurine kangaroos, weighing up to 200kg, or about doub
The sthenurines were a family of short-faced kangaroos which became numerous about 2 million years ago. Fourteen species a
hare-wallaby), surviving on two islands off the coast of Western Australia. The extinct sthenurines varied in size from quite sma
goliah. All had a single long toe with a hoof-like claw on their hind foot, a short, thick tail and long arms. Most characteristic of a
expanded nasal area that may have been used for amplifying sound.
The short face and deep skull reflect the powerful mechanical advantage they provide to the chewing muscles. Procoptodon wa
stems. Because of its bulk it probably moved fairly slowly, although the mechanics of its hind limbs indicate that it was capable
generally found in areas with a denser understory, as they are able to see over the top of it.
Balancing on its single, hoof-like hind toes and propped up by its tail, Procoptodon could have reached leaves more than 3 metr
were capable of reaching above their head in this manner—Procoptodon represents the most extreme adaptation of the extinc
Distribution: Procoptodon flourished over much of Australia until its extinction around 40,000 years ago.
Fossils: Procoptodon fossils have been found at the Naracoorte World Heritage fossil deposits in South Australia, Lake Meninde
and at many other sites.
Thylacoleo
Thylacoleo carnifex
The marsupial lion, one the greatest carnivores to roam Australia, had the most powerful bite of any mammal species—living o
have compared the heads of all manner of beasts, from dogs to bears. None had the ability to bite down on its prey with quite t
The lion, so described because of its cat-like appearance, became extinct more than 40,000 years ago.
Fossil evidence shows it must have been a remarkable predator. Its stocky teeth, although not quite on the same scale as those
wounds. The lion also had a huge "thumb claw" to grapple with and disembowel its victims.
"Thylacoleo carnifex was one of the meanest, most frightening animals you could have the misfortune to meet," Dr Wroe, from
Competitive edge
Wroe's team studied the skulls of 39 mammalian carnivores, eight of them now known only from the fossil record. The work es
animals' jaws; a simple model constructed by the researchers allows them to compare the relative biting power of all the creatu
The data shows—as one might expect—that thecarnivores with the biggest bite forces are typically the ones that take larger pr
able to win out in such a confrontation, a competitive edge is needed.
But then the data starts to throw up some surprises—not least between marsupials and placentals.
"Marsupials for any given size had a much bigger bite than placentals," explained Dr Wroe. "A 30kg Tasmanian tiger was biting m
which on average was about 100kg, had a bite focre comparable to that of a 250kg African lion.
Rapid bleed
The researchers have an idea why this might be, and it goes to brain size and possibly to intelligence. Modern placentals have b
including marsupials. It seems conceivable, Wroe and colleagues believe, that the skull architecture required for these bigger br
what the placentals lack in terms of pure biting power they compensate for in their smarter attack strategies—and the more pr
"The cross-sectional area available for the two major muscle jaw-closing systems may be inversely proportional to the size of th
by being more precise," said Dr Wroe.
And this hypothesis takes an interesting turn with sabre-toothed cats. The data shows them to have had relatively small bites fo
bite forces and are substantially smaller animals. But who needs to bite hard when your giant, 15cm-long canines will punch de
and death?
New questions
Professor Norman MacLeod, keeper of palaeontology at the UK's Natural History Museum, commented that this type of study e
about extinct (and living) creatures. "Scaling relationships, for example, are used to estimate maximum travelling speeds of anc
length of their stride," he explained.
"Researchers will look for deviations in trends. When an animal deviates strongly raises valid research questions about the desi
versus body size, there is a nice, regular relationship—but in humans, we are way off the scale. "That's because there's been mu
other animal."
Giant Echidna
Zaglossus hacketti
Era:
Upper Pleistocene (From two million to 11 thousand years ago; extensive glaciation of the northern hem
Classification:
The giant echidna was a marsupial mammal, a monotreme. Zaglossus hacketti is known
Description:
The giant echidna stood more erect than the echidna we see today. It had a long snout that curved downwards an
echidna. At a metre long, it was huge not only for an echidna but for monotrem
Distribution:
The giant echidna lived all over Australia about 3 million years ago; until about 20,000 years ago
What did it eat ?
The giant echidna ate termites, worms, grubs and beetles.
How did it protect itself ?
The giant echidna could form itself into a spiny ball to protect itsel
Dromornis is a genus of prehistoric birds. It contained the largest flightless birds to have ever existed, stand
ton. Dromornis lived in Australia from the late Miocene to the early Pliocene, therefore meaning that early
Dromornis had a huge beak and jaw capable of great force but did not have the beak or claws of a carnivore
They are sometimes referred to as Mihirung birds. 'Mihirung paringmal' is an Aboriginal word from the Tja
means 'giant bird'. Although they looked like giant emus, the Dromornis are more closely related to geese.
Dromornis stirtoni was three metres (10 feet) tall and weighed half a ton (500 kilos). It inhabited subtropica
Miocene and may have been carnivorous. It was heavier than Aepyornis and taller than the Moa . Due to the
type species of the genus) and the large time gap between the two Dromornis species, D. stirtoni may event
This species had a long neck and stub-like wings, rendering it flightless.[1] Its legs were powerful, but it is n
bird's beak was large and immensely powerful, leading early researchers to believe that it was used to shear
others have argued that the size of the beak suggests that the bird was a carnivore.[1]
Dromornis are part of a family of giant birds called Dromornithidae that lived from 15 million years ago un
been separated from the big southern landmass of Gondwana for millions of years by this time. The animals
complete isolation from the animals of other continents. There were forests and a permanent water supply a
although the climate was very unpredictable.
Giant Ripper Lizards
Megalania prisca
Meaning:
'Ancient giant butcher'.
Age:
Pleistocene Epoch
(~1.8 million to ~50 thousand years ago).
Megalania would have been a force to reckon with in prehistoric Australia as the early
Aborigines tried to compete for food with such a creature. They would eventually learn that fire
was the best way to fight such a formidable opponent.
Physical Description
Add about 8 feet to the Komodo dragon's 10-foot length and you've got Megalania, which
weighed over 800 pounds. It was the largest lizard that ever lived and most likely a formidable
predator, able to take down animals 10 times its size. Megalania lived in Australia 68,000 years
ago and, despite its similarities to the Komodo dragon, is most closely related to the perentie,
Australia's largest living lizard today. Megalania could see over long distances, i.e., more than
900 feet, but it was better at eyeing moving objects. This giant lizard used its claws for tearing
open the flesh of fresh carcasses. Megalania's mouth was filled with large, curved, serrated
teeth meant to rip its prey to shreds. If that didn't work, the giant lizard left bacteria-laced saliva
in its victim that was sure to kill—a technique the Komodo dragon still employs. Like current-day
reptiles, this giant lizard would have used its tongue to smell its prey. With a flick of its long,
forked tongue and the help of a scent organ, known as Jacobson's organ, it could detect a
rotting carcass from over seven miles away.
Distribution
Fossils have been found in South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. Fossil bones
amounting to about 20% of the skeleton of Megalania have been found in eastern Australia,
particularly the Darling Downs of Queensland. However, acomplete skeleton of a Megalania has
never been found.
Habitat
They lived in open woodland and grassland.
Reproduction
They laid eggs as all varanid lizards do, but so far none have been found as fossils.
Best place to see
Giant ripper lizard fossils and reconstructions are on display at Monash Science Centre, Monash
University, Clayton in Victoria State, Australia; and the Wonambi Fossil Centre, Naracoorte
Caves National Park, South Australia.
Question two
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dromornis_BW.jpg
http://www.artistwd.com/joyzine/australia/articles/megafauna/megalania_prisca.php