Thylacoleo
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| Thylacoleo Fossil range: late Pliocene—late Pleistocene |
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Thylacoleo ("Pouch Lion") is an extinct genus of carnivorous marsupials that lived in Australia from the late Pliocene to the late Pleistocene (2 MYA to 30,000 years ago). Some of these "marsupial lions" were the largest mammalian predators in Australia of that time, with Thylacoleo carnifex approaching the weight of a small lion.
There are many similarities between prehistoric Australian megafauna and some mythical creatures from the aboriginal dreamtime[citation needed].
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[edit] Description
Pound for pound, Thylacoleo carnifex had the strongest bite of any mammal species living or extinct; a 100 kg (220 lb) T. carnifex had a bite comparable to that of a 250 kg (551 lb) African Lion[1] and is thought to have hunted large animals such as Diprotodon spp. and giant kangaroos. It also had extremely strong forelimbs, with retractable catlike claws, a trait previously unseen in marsupials. Thylacoleo also possessed enormous hooded claws set on large semi-opposable thumbs, which were used to capture and disembowel prey. The long muscular tail was similar to that of a kangaroo. Specialized tail bones called chevrons allowed the animal to tripod itself, and freed the front legs for slashing and grasping. [2]
Its strong forelimbs, retracting claws and incredibly powerful jaws mean that it may have been possible for Thylacoleo to climb trees and perhaps to carry carcasses to keep the kill for itself (similar to the leopard today). Due to its unique predatory morphology, scientists repeatedly claim Thylacoleo to be the most specialized mammalian carnivore of all time. [3]
Thylacoleo was 71 cm (28 in) at the shoulder and about 114 cm (45 in) long from head to tail. The T. carnifex species is the largest, and skulls indicate they averaged 101 kg (223 lb) to 130 kg (287 lb), and individuals reaching 124 kg (273 lb) to 160 kg (353 lb) were common.[4]
[edit] Discoveries
Thylacoleo was first described by Sir Richard Owen in 1859.[citation needed]
In 2002, a remarkably complete skeleton of T. carnifex was discovered in a limestone cave under Nullarbor Plain, where the animal fell to its death through a narrow opening in the plain above.[5]
[edit] Taxonomy
Family: Thylacoleonidae (Marsupial lions)
Marsupial "lion" alludes to the superficial resemblance to the placental lion and its ecological niche as a large predator. Thylacoleo is not related to the modern lion Panthera leo.
Genus: Thylacoleo (Thylacopardus) - Australia's marsupial lions, that lived from about 2 million years ago, during the late Pliocene and became extinct about 30,000 years ago, during the late Pleistocene epoch.
- Thylacoleo hilli (Oligocene, Pliocene)
- Thylacoleo crassidentatus (Pliocene)
- Thylacoleo carnifex (Pleistocene)
The family it belonged to, the Thylacoleonidae, had older early members like Priscileo and Wakaleo, dating back to the late Oligocene some 24 million years ago.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Marsupial munch tops big biters
- ^ NOVA | Bone Diggers | Anatomy of Thylacoleo | PBS
- ^ Extinct Australian "Lion" Was Big Biter, Expert Says
- ^ Wroe, S., Myers, T. J., Wells, R. T., and Gillespie, A. (1999). "Estimating the weight of the Pleistocene marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex (Thylacoleonidae : Marsupialia): implications for the ecomorphology of a marsupial super-predator and hypotheses of impoverishment of Australian marsupial carnivore faunas". Australian Journal of Zoology 47: 489–498. doi:.
- ^ BBC News, "Caverns give up huge fossil haul", 25 January 2007.
- ^ Long, J.A., Archer, M., Flannery, T. & Hand, S. (2002). Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea - 100 million Years of Evolution. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 224pp.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
