Australian megafauna are a number of large
animalAnimals are a major group of mostly multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously...
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
in
AustraliaAustralia is the smallest of the geographic continents, though not of geological continents. There is no universally accepted definition of the word "continent"; the lay definition is "One of the main continuous bodies of land on the earth's surface."...
, often defined as species with body mass estimates of greater than 30 kilograms, or equal to or greater than 30% greater body mass than their closest living relatives. Many of these species became extinct during the
PleistoceneThe Pleistocene is the epoch from 2.588 million to 12 000 years BP covering the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
(16,100±100 - 50,000 years before present).
The cause of the extinction is an active and contentious field of research. It is hypothesised that with the arrival of humans (around 48,000-60,000 years ago), hunting and the use of
fireFire-stick farming is a term coined by Australian archaeologist Rhys Jones in 1969 to describe the practice of Indigenous Australians where fire was used regularly to burn vegetation to facilitate hunting and to change the composition of plant and animal species in an area.Fire-stick farming had...
to manage their environment may have contributed to the extinction of the
megafaunaThe term megafauna has two distinct meanings in the biological sciences. The less commonly found meaning, used for benthic organisms, is of any animal which can be seen with the unaided eye, in contrast to microfauna - however, the standard term for this category is macrofauna rather than megafauna...
. Increased aridity during peak glaciation (about 18,000 years ago) may have also contributed to the extinction of the megafauna. Some proponents claim climate change alone caused extinction of the megafauna, but these arguments have to account for the fact that megaufaunal species comfortably survived two million years of climatic oscillations, including a number of
aridA region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
glacial periods, before their sudden extinction.
New evidence based on accurate
optically stimulated luminescenceOptical dating is a method of determining how long ago minerals were last exposed to daylight. It is useful to geologists and archaeologists who want to know when such an event occurred....
and
Uranium-thorium datingUranium-thorium dating, also called thorium-230 dating, uranium-series disequilibrium dating or uranium-series dating, is a radiometric dating technique commonly used to determine the age of carbonate materials such as speleothem or coral...
of megafaunal remains suggests that humans were the ultimate cause of the extinction of megafauna in Australia. The dates derived show that all forms of megafauna became extinct in the same rapid timeframe — approximately 47,000 years ago — the period of time in which humans first arrived in Australia. The dates derived suggest the main mechanism for extinction was human burning of a then much less fire-adapted landscape; analysis of oxygen and carbon isotopes from teeth of megafauna indicate sudden, drastic, non-climate-related changes in vegetation and the diet of surviving marsupial species, as well as the loss of megafaunal species. Further analysis of oxygen and carbon isotopes from teeth of megafauna indicate the arid regional climates at the time of extinction were similar to arid regional climates of today, and that the megafauna were well adapted to arid climates.
There are similarities between prehistoric Australian megafauna and some mythical creatures from the aboriginal dreamtime .
Mammals
- Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving marsupial...
(Macropus rufus) This species is a very large kangaroo with short, red-brown fur, fading to pale buff below and on the limbs. It has long, pointed earlobes and a squared-off muzzle. Females are smaller than males and are blue-grey with a brown tinge, pale grey below, although arid zone females are coloured more like males. It has two appendages with small claws (much like arms), two muscular legs, which are used for jumping, and a tail, which is often used like a third leg for balance.
- Red Kangaroos' legs work much like a rubber band. The male Red Kangaroo can leap in full force approximately 30 feet (9.14 m) in one leap. Males grow up to 1.8m (6ft) tall and weigh up to 85 kg (187lbs). Females grow up to 1.1m (3.6ft) tall and weigh up to 35kg (77lbs). Tails can be up to 1m (3ft) along.
- Eastern Grey Kangaroo
The Eastern Grey Kangaroo is a marsupial found in southern and eastern Australia, with a population of several million. It is also known as the Great Grey Kangaroo and the Forester Kangaroo...
(Macropus giganteus) is a marsupialMarsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by a distinctive pouch , in which females carry their young through early infancy.- History :...
found in southern and eastern AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, with a population of several million. Although a big Eastern Grey male typically weighs around 66 kg (145 lbThe pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
) and stands almost 2 m (6 ft.) tall, the scientific name, Macropus giganteus (gigantic large-foot), is misleading, as the Red KangarooThe Red Kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving marsupial...
of the semi-arid inland is larger.
- Antilopine Kangaroo
The Antilopine Kangaroo , sometimes called the Antilopine Wallaroo or the Antilopine Wallaby, is a species of macropod found in northern Australia: in Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, the Top End of the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley region of Western Australia...
(Macropus antilopinus), sometimes called the Antilopine Wallaroo or the Antilopine Wallaby, is a species of macropodMacropods are marsupials belonging to the family Macropodidae, which includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, pademelons, and several others. Before European settlement, there were about 53 species of Macropods. Six species have since become extinct. Another 11 species have been greatly...
found in northern AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
: in Cape York PeninsulaCape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. This remote peninsula contains some of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth, though about half of the land area is used for grazing cattle and much has been damaged by feral pigs, weeds, and other...
in QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, the Top EndThe Top End is the second northernmost point on the continent of Australia, behind the Cape York Peninsula. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres bounded by sea on three sides , and by the almost waterless semi-arid interior of Australia to the...
of the Northern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, and the KimberleyThe Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
region of Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Australia's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.2 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.The state's capital...
. It is a locally common, gregarious grazer.
- Eastern Wallaroo
The Eastern Wallaroo , also known as the Common Wallaroo, the Hill Wallaroo or the Euro, is a large, variable species of macropod found throughout much of the Australian mainland...
(Macropus robustus), also called the Hill Wallaroo, is generally found in a variety of habitats; forests, deserts, and grasslands. They can weight as much as 15–47 kg (33-105 lb) and grow over 4 feet long.
- Common Wombat
The Common Wombat , also known as the Coarse-haired Wombat, is one of three species of wombats and the only one in the Vombatus genus.- Distribution :...
(Vombatus ursinus), among the three species of WombatWombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a very short tail. They are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania...
, this variety can get to be 25–40 kg (55-88 lb). Common wombats thrive in Eastern Australia and Tasmania, and prefer temperate forests and highland regions.
- Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is one of three species of wombats. It is found in scattered areas of semi-arid scrub and mallee from the eastern Nullarbor Plain to the New South Wales border area. It is the smallest wombat at around 775 to 935 mm and 20 to 32 kg, and the young often do...
(Lasiorhinus latifrons), among the three species of Wombat, they only get to be 19–32 kg (42-71 lb). They are much stockier then the Common Wombat and have much shorter limbs.
- Dingo
The Dingo is a domestic dog which has reverted to a wild state for thousands of years and today lives largely independent from humans in the majority of its distribution....
(Canis lupus dingo), a subspecies of wolf (to be precise a variant of the domestic dog) that was introduced into the continent around 4000 years ago most likely by Asian seafarers and later returned to the wild. The average weight of a dingo is about 13–20 kg, although heavier dogs can be found. Most are found in mainland Australia, yet many can be found in ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
.
Birds
- Emu
The Emu , Dromaius novaehollandiae, is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is also the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. The soft-feathered, brown, flightless bird reach up to in height...
The emu was first described under the name of the New Holland Cassowary in Arthur Phillip's Voyage to Botany Bay, published in 1789.[4] The species was named by ornithologist John Latham, who collaborated on Phillip's book and provided the first descriptions of and names for many Australian bird species; its name is Latin for "fast-footed New Hollander". The etymology of the common name Emu is uncertain, but is thought to have come from an Arabic word for large bird that was later used by Portuguese explorers to describe the related Cassowary in New Guinea.[5] In Victoria, some terms for the emu were Barrimal in the Djadja wurrung language, myoure in Gunai, and courn in Jardwadjali.[6]
In his original 1816 description of the emu, Vieillot used two generic names; first Dromiceius, then Dromaius a few pages later. It has been a point of contention ever since which is correct; the latter is more correctly formed, but the convention in taxonomy is that the first name given stands, unless it is clearly a typographical error.[7] Most modern publications, including those of the Australian government,[8] use Dromaius, with Dromiceius mentioned as an alternative spelling.
- Cassowary
The cassowary is a very large flightless bird native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia....
The Northern and Dwarf Cassowaries are not well known. All cassowaries are usually shy, secretive birds of the deep forest, adept at disappearing long before a human knows they are there. Even the more accessible Southern Cassowary of the far north QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
rain forests is not well understood.
Reptiles
- Goanna
Goanna is the name used to refer to any number of Australian monitor lizards of the genus Varanus, as well as to certain species from Southeast Asia.There are around 30 species of goanna, 25 of which are found in Australia...
Being predatory lizards, goannas are often quite large, or at least bulky, with sharp
teethTeeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to tear, scrape, and chew food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or defense. The roots of teeth are covered by gums...
and
clawA claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...
s. The largest is the
PerentieThe Perentie is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia, and fourth largest lizard on earth, after the Komodo Dragon, crocodile monitor and the water monitor...
(
Varanus giganteus), which can grow over 2 m in length. They prey on all manner of small animals;
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s, lizards,
snakeSnakes are elongate legless carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s,
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
s,
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s, and
eggsAn egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of any number of different species, consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo and its nutrient reserves...
. Meals are often eaten whole, and thus the size of their meals depends on the size of the animal itself. However, the Perentie has been observed killing a young
kangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroo...
, and then biting out chunks of flesh like a
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
. Goannas have even been blamed for the death of sheep by farmers, though most likely erroneously, as goannas are also eaters of
carrionCarrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters, or scavengers, include Hyenas, Vultures, Canadian Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, Black Bears, Komodo Dragons, Bald Eagles, Raccoons,...
and are attracted to rotting meat.
Not all goannas are gargantuan. Pygmy goannas may be smaller than a man's arm. The smallest of these, the
short-tailed monitorThe Short-tailed monitor, or the pygmy goanna, is the smallest living monitor lizard, and may be the smallest species of monitor that has ever existed with a maximum length of 25cm. They live in desert regions of Australia.- Taxonomy :...
(
Varanus brevicuda) reaches only 20 cm in length. They survive on smaller prey such as insects and mice.
- Saltwater Crocodile
Saltwater or estuarine crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles. It is found in suitable habitats throughout Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, and the surrounding waters...
A healthy adult male saltwater crocodile is typically 4.8 to 7 metres (15.75 to 21.6 ft) long, and weighs up to 770 kg (1697 lb), with many exceptions being much larger than this. Many large sizes have been reported[2], [1] Females are much smaller than males, with typical female body lengths in the range of 2.5–3 meters. A 28 foot (8.5 m) individual was reportedly shot on the Norman River of Queensland in 1957 and a cast was made of this animal (which can be viewed and is quite the popular tourist attraction), but due to the time since the occurrence and lack of rock hard evidence (other than the plaster) it is not considered "official". The saltwater crocodile has fewer armor plates on its neck than other crocodilians, and its broad body contrasts with most other lean crocodiles, leading to early unverified assumptions the reptile was an alligator.[2]Crocodylus porosus (Schneider, 1801), by Adam Britton from the Crocodilian Species List.
- Crocodylus johnsoni (Freshwater Crocodile)
Extinct Australian megafauna: pre-1788
The following is an incomplete list of Australian megafauna (monotremes, marsupials, birds and reptiles) in the format:
- Latin name, (common name, period alive), and a brief description.
Monotremes
Monotremes are arranged by size with the largest at the top.
- Zaglossus hacketti was a sheep-sized echidna
Echidnas , also known as spiny anteaters, are four extant mammal species belonging to the Tachyglossidae family of the monotremes, an order of egg laying mammals. Together with the Platypus, they are the only surviving members of that order comprising the only extant mammals that lay eggs...
uncovered in Mammoth Cave in Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Australia's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.2 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.The state's capital...
, and is the largest monotremeMonotremes are mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials and placental mammals ....
so far uncovered.
- Obduron dicksoni was a platypus up to 60 cm in total length, fossils of which were found at Riversleigh
Riversleigh, in North West Queensland, is Australia's most famous fossil site. The 100 km² area has fossil remains of ancient mammals, birds and reptiles of Oligocene and Miocene age...
.
- Megalibgwilia
Megalibgwilia is a genus of echidna known only from Australian fossils that incorporates the oldest known echidna species. It lived during the Pleistocene, becoming extinct about 50,000 years ago....
ramsayi was a large, long-beaked echidna with powerful forelimbs for digging. Its diet would probably have included worms and grubs rather than ants.
- Megalibgwilia
Megalibgwilia is a genus of echidna known only from Australian fossils that incorporates the oldest known echidna species. It lived during the Pleistocene, becoming extinct about 50,000 years ago....
robusta was a long-beaked echidna.
Marsupials
Marsupials are arranged by size with largest at the top.
1000-2000 kilograms
- Diprotodon
__FORCETOC__Diprotodon was the largest known marsupial that ever lived. It, along with many other members of a group of unusual species collectively called the Australian megafauna, existed from 1.6 million years ago until about 40,000 years ago . Diprotodon spp...
optatum was the largest species of DiprotodontidDiprotodontidae is an extinct family of large, actively mobile marsupial, endemic to what would be Australia, during the Oligocene through Pleistocene periods from 28.4 mya—11,000 years ago, existing for approximately .-References:...
. Approximately three metres long, two metres high at the shoulder and weighing up to two tonnes, it resembled a giant wombatWombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a very short tail. They are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania...
. It is the largest marsupialMarsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by a distinctive pouch , in which females carry their young through early infancy.- History :...
currently known.
- Diprotodon minor
- Zygomaturus
Zygomaturus is an extinct giant marsupial from Australia during the Pleistocene. It had a heavy body and thick legs and is believed to be similar to the modern Pygmy Hippopotamus in both size and build. The genus moved on all fours. It lived in the wet coastal margins of Australia and became...
trilobus was a smaller (bullock-sized, about two metres long by one metre high) Diprotodontid that may have had a short trunk. It appears to have lived in wetlands, using two fork-like incisors to shovel up reeds and sedges for food.
- Palorchestes
Palorchestes azael is an extinct herbivorous terrestrial mammal genus of the family Palorchestidae endemic to Australia living from the Late Miocene subepoch through Pleistocene and in existence for approximately .-Description:Palorchestes azael was marsupial that was almost as large as a horse,...
azael (the Marsupial Tapir) was a Diprotodontid of a similar size to Zygomaturus, with long claws and a longish trunk. It lived in the MioceneThe Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the...
.
100-1000 kilograms
- Euowenia
Euowenia is an extinct genus of Diprotodontia.-References:* Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution by John A. Long, Michael Archer, Timothy Flannery, and Suzanne Hand...
grata
- Nototherium
Nototherium is an extinct genus of marsupial. This mammal had hypsodont molars.-Sources:* Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent by Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas Hewitt Rich, Francesco Coffa, and Steven Morton* Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New...
mitchelli
- Euryzygoma
Euryzygoma is an extinct genus of marsupial.- References :*"Australia's Lost World: Prehistoric Animals of Riversleigh" by Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand, and Henk Godthelp...
dunense
- Phascolonus
Phascolonus was a genus of prehistoric Australian marsupial in the wombat family. The largest species weighed as much as two tons. This genus existed alongside that of another wombat relative, Diprotodon....
gigas
- Ramsayia magna
- Procoptodon goliah
Procoptodon was a genus of giant short-faced kangaroo living in Australia during the Pleistocene epoch. P. goliah, the largest kangaroo that ever existed, stood approximately 3 metres tall and weighed about ....
(the Giant Short-faced Kangaroo) is the largest kangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroo...
to have ever lived. It grew 2-3 metres (7-10 feet) tall, and weighed up to 230 kilograms. It had a flat shortened face with jaw and teeth adapted for chewing tough semi-arid vegetation, and forward-looking eyes providing stereoscopic vision. Procoptodon was one of seventeen species in three genera in the SthenurineThe Sthenurinae is a sub-family within the marsupial family Macropodidae, meaning 'short faced kangaroos'. Only a single species occurs today, with all the other known genera existing in the Pleistocene, these included some of the largest fossil macropods....
subfamily, of whom all are extinct. Sthenurines inhabited open woodlands in central Northern Australia as the tropical rainforests were beginning to retreat. All sthenurines had an extremely developed, almost hoof-like, fourth toe on the hindlimbs, with other toes vestigial. Additionally, elastic ligaments between the toe bones gave this group improved spring and speed compared to modern kangaroos. Sthenurine forelimbs were long with two extra-long fingers and claws compared with the relatively small, stiff arms of modern macropodMacropods are marsupials belonging to the family Macropodidae, which includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, pademelons, and several others. Before European settlement, there were about 53 species of Macropods. Six species have since become extinct. Another 11 species have been greatly...
s. These may have been used for pulling branches nearer for eating and for quadrupedQuadrupedalism is a form of land animal locomotion using four limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet"...
al movement for short distances.
- Procoptodon
Procoptodon was a genus of giant short-faced kangaroo living in Australia during the Pleistocene epoch. P. goliah, the largest kangaroo that ever existed, stood approximately 3 metres tall and weighed about ....
rapha, P. pusio and P. texasensis
- Protemnodon
Protemnodon is a genus of megafaunal macropods that existed in Australia and Papua New Guinea in the Pleistocene. Based on fossil evidence it is though that the known Protemnodon were physically similar to wallabies but far larger; Protemnodon hopei was the smallest in the genus weighing about 45...
a form of giant wallaby with 4 species.
- Palorchestes
Palorchestes azael is an extinct herbivorous terrestrial mammal genus of the family Palorchestidae endemic to Australia living from the Late Miocene subepoch through Pleistocene and in existence for approximately .-Description:Palorchestes azael was marsupial that was almost as large as a horse,...
parvus
- Macropus
Macropus is a marsupial genus that belongs to the family Macropodidae, it has 14 species which are further divided into 3 subgenera. The genus includes all terrestrial kangaroos, wallaroos and several species of wallaby.-Taxonomy:* Genus Macropus...
pearsoni and M. ferragus
10-100 kilograms
- Simosthenurus pales
- Sthenurus
Sthenurus is an extinct genus of kangaroo. With a height of about 3 m , some species were twice as large as modern extant species. Sthenurus was related to the better-known Procoptodon.-Fossil habitats:...
tindalei and S. atlas
- Phascolarctos stirtoni was a koala
The Koala is a thickset arboreal marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
similar to the modern form, but one third larger.
- Phascolomys medius
- Lasiorhinus
Lasiorhinus is the genus containing the two hairy-nosed wombats, which are found with in Australia. The species are:* Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii* Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Lasiorhinus latifrons...
angustioens
- Congruus congruus a wallaby from Naracoorte.
- Troposodon minor
- Sthenurus oreas
- Simosthenurus
Simosthenurus is a genus of megafaunal macropods that existed in Australia in the Pleistocene. The members of the genus are large, Simosthenurus occidentalis weighed over 118 kilograms....
occidentalis (another Sthenurine) was about as tall as a modern Eastern Grey KangarooThe Eastern Grey Kangaroo is a marsupial found in southern and eastern Australia, with a population of several million. It is also known as the Great Grey Kangaroo and the Forester Kangaroo...
, but much more robust. It is one of the nine species of leaf-eating kangaroos identified in fossils found in the Naracoorte Caves National ParkNaracoorte Caves is a national park near Naracoorte in the Limestone Coast tourism region in the south-east of South Australia . It was officially recognised in 1994 for its extensive fossil record when the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, along with Riversleigh...
.
- Simothenurus brownei
- Propleopus
Propleopus is an extinct genus of marsupial. It inclued the species oscillans, the Carnivorous Kangaroo....
oscillans (the Carnivorous Kangaroo), from the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, was a large (~70 kilogram) rat-kangaroo with large shearing and stout grinding teeth that indicate it may have been an opportunistic carnivore able to eat insects, vertebrates (possibly carrion), fruits, and soft leaves. Grew to about 1.5 - 3 metres in height.
- Simothenurus maddocki
- Sthenurus andersoni
- Thylacoleo carnifex, (the Marsupial Lion
The Marsupial Lion is an extinct species of carnivorous marsupial mammal that lived in Australia from the early to the late Pleistocene...
), was the size of a leopardThe leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera; the other three being the tiger, lion and jaguar...
, and had a cat-like skull with large slicing pre-molars. It had a retractable thumb-claw and massive forelimbs. It was almost certainly carnivorous and a tree-dweller.
- Vombatus hacketti
- Macropus thor
- Macropus piltonensis
- Macropus rama
- Simothenurus gilli
- Warrendja wakefieldi a wombat from Naracoorte.
- Sarcophilus
Sarcophilus is a genus of carnivorous marsupial best known for its only living member, the Tasmanian Devil.There are three species of Sarcophilus. S. laniarius and S. moornaensis are only known from fossils from the Pleistocene. S. laniarius was larger than the contemporary, and only surviving,...
harrisii laniarius was a large form of the Tasmanian DevilThe Tasmanian Devil is a carnivorous marsupial now found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Devil is the only extant member of the genus Sarcophilus...
.
Birds
- Family Dromornithidae
Dromornithidae — the dromornithids — were a family of large, flightless Australian birds of the Oligocene through Pleistocene epochs. All are now extinct. They were long classified in the order Struthioniformes, but are now usually classified as a family of Anseriformes
1...
: this group of birds was more closely related to waterfowl than modern ratiteA ratite is any of a diverse group of large, flightless birds of Gondwanan origin, most of them now extinct. Unlike other flightless birds, the ratites have no keel on their sternum - hence their name, which comes from the Latin for raft...
s.
- Dromornis stirtoni, (Stirton's Thunder Bird, Miocene epoch) was a flightless bird three metres tall that weighed about 500 kilograms. It is one of the largest birds so far discovered. It inhabited subtropical open woodlands and may have been carnivorous. It was heavier than the Moa
The moa were ten species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about ....
and taller than the AepyornisAepyornis is an extinct genus of Aepyornithid, also known as "elephant birds".- Description :Aepyornis, which was a giant ratite native to Madagascar, has been extinct since at least the 17th century. Aepyornis was the world's largest bird, believed to have been over tall and weighing close to...
.
- Bullockornis
Bullockornis, nicknamed the Demon Duck of Doom, is an extinct flightless bird that appeared to have lived in the Middle Miocene, approximately 15 million years ago, in what is now Australia....
planei (the 'Demon Duck of Doom') was another huge member of the Dromornithidae. It was up to 2.5 metres tall and weighed up to 250 kilograms, and was probably carnivorous.
- Genyornis
Genyornis was a monotypic genus of large, flightless bird that lived in Australia until 50±5 thousand years ago. Many species became extinct in Australia around that time, coinciding with the arrival of humans....
newtoni (the Mihirung) was related to Dromornis, and was about the height of an ostrich. It was the last survivor of the Dromornithidae. It had a large lower jaw and was probably omnivorous.
- Leipoa gallinacea (formerly Progura) was a giant malleefowl
The Malleefowl is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken...
.
Reptiles
- Varanus priscus (formerly Megalania prisca) was a giant, carnivorous goanna
Goanna is the name used to refer to any number of Australian monitor lizards of the genus Varanus, as well as to certain species from Southeast Asia.There are around 30 species of goanna, 25 of which are found in Australia...
that might have grown to as long as seven metres, and weighed up to 1,940 kilograms (Molnar, 2004).
- Wonambi naracoortensis was a non-venomous snake
Snakes are elongate legless carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
of five to six metres in length, an ambush predator at waterholes which killed its prey by constriction.
- Quinkana
Quinkana is an extinct genus of mekosuchine crocodile that lived in Australia from ~24 million years ago to ~40,000 years ago. By the Pleistocene Quinkana had become one of the top terrestrial predators of Australia, possessing long legs and ziphodont teeth .
[Ziphodont teeth tend...]
sp., was a terrestrial crocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
which grew from five to possibly 7 metres in length. It had long legs positioned underneath its body, and chased down mammals, birds and other reptiles for food. Its teeth were blade-like for cutting rather than pointed for gripping as with water dwelling crocodiles. It belonged to the Mekosuchine subfamily (all now extinct). It was discovered at Bluff Downs in QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
- Liasis
Liasis is a genus of non-venomous pythons found in Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia. Currently, 3 species are recognized.-Geographic range:...
sp., (Bluff Downs Giant Python), lived during the Pliocene epoch, grew up to ten metres long, and is the largest Australian snake known. It hunted mammals, birds and reptiles in riparian woodlands. It is most similar to the extant Olive PythonLiasis olivaceus is a non-venomous python species found in Australia. With adults reaching over 4 m in length, this is Australia's second largest snake species. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here....
(Liasis olivacea).
- Meiolania
Meiolania is an extinct genus of cryptodire turtle from the Oligocene to Holocene, with the last relic populations at New Caledonia which survived until 2,000 years ago....
was a genus of huge terrestrial cryptodireCryptodira is the taxonomic suborder of Testudines that includes most living tortoises and turtles. Cryptodira differ from Pleurodira in that they lower their neck and pull the head straight back into the shell, instead of folding the neck sideways it is along the body under the shell's margin...
turtleTurtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
measuring 2.5 m (8 ft 4 inches) in length, with a horned head and spiked tail.
Extinctions (not megafauna) post 1788
- Thylacinus cynocephalus (Tasmanian Tiger)- became extinct in 1936. Officially extinct in 1989.
- Dromaius novaehollandiae diemenensis (Tasmanian Emu) - exact date of extinction unknown. Possibly became extinct in 1850.
- Dromaius baudinianus (Kangaroo Island Emu) - exact date of extinction unknown. Possibly became extinct in 1827.
- Dromaius ater (King Island Emu) - became extinct in 1822.
- Lagorchestes leporides (Eastern Hare-Wallaby) - last specimen recorded in 1889.
- Caloprymnus campestris (Desert Rat-Kangaroo) - last sighted 1935.
- Perameles eremiana (Desert Bandicoot) - last known specimen recorded in 1943.
- Onychogalea lunata (Crescent Nail-Tail Wallaby) - last specimen recorded in 1928.
- Potorous platyops (Broad-faced Potoroo) - last specimen recorded in 1875.
- Macropus greyi (Toolache Wallaby) - extinct by 1939.
- Chaeropus ecaudatus (Pig-footed Bandicoot) - extinct around the 1950s.
Other Large Australian Species
- Aquila audax (Wedge-tailed Eagle)
- Ardea intermedia (Intermediate Egret)
- Ardea picata (Pied Heron)
- Ardea sumatrana (Great-billed Heron)
- Cereopsis novaehollandiae (Cape Barren Goose)
- Crocodylus johnsoni (Freshwater Crocodile)
- Cygnus atratus (Black Swan)
- Grus rubicunda (Brolga)
- Macropus bernardus (Woodward's Wallaroo)
- Pelecanus conspicillatus (Australian Pelican)
- Phascolarctos cinereus (Koala)
- Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian Devil)
- Wallabia bicolor (Swamp Wallaby)
- Zaglossus bruijni (Western Long-beaked Echidna)
External links