''Thylacinus megiriani'' lived during the late

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

, 8 million years ago; the area ''T. megiriani'' inhabited in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

was covered in forest with a permanent supply of water. ''Thylacinus megiriani'' was a quadrupedal marsupial predator, that in appearance looked similar to a dog with a long snout. Its molar teeth were specialized for carnivory, the cups and crest were reduced or elongated to give the molars a cutting blade, and in proportion with its body, its teeth were exceptionally large, possibly adding to its body weight. Its estimated weight is over 57 kg. ''Thylacinus megiriani'', along with

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

s and giant

monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...

s, were thought to be the only predators in

Alcoota __NOTOC__ The Alcoota Fossil Beds are an important paleontological Lagerstätte in the Northern Territory of Australia located on Alcoota Station in the locality of Anmatjere about north-east of Alice Springs in the Central Australia regio ...

. ''Thylacinus megiriani'' fossils, along with those of '' T. potens'', have been discovered in Alcoota in the Northern Territory, although the remains of ''

Thylacinus ''Thylacinus'' is a genus of extinct carnivorous marsupials from the order Dasyuromorphia. The only recent member was the thylacine (''Thylacinus cynocephalus''), commonly also known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, which is believed to ...

'' in Alcoota are very rare. Paleontologist have found specimens densely packed together that died within a matter of years of one another. Drought and unpredictable weather likely were the cause.

Taxonomy

The description of the species was published in a 1997 study by Peter F. Murray. The holotype was obtained at the

fossil area by the geologist

Dirk Megirian A dirk is a long bladed thrusting dagger.Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), ''Dagger'', The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729 Historically, it gained its name from the Highland Dirk (Scot ...

, whose work in carefully excavating the specimen was honoured by the author in the specific epithet ''megiriani''.

Description

A species of ''

'', it was somewhat larger than the recent Tasmanian tiger ''

Thylacinus cynocephalus The thylacine ( , or , also ) (''Thylacinus cynocephalus'') is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. The last known live animal was captur ...

'', and similar weight to another late Miocene species ''

Thylacinus potens ''Thylacinus potens'' ("powerful pouched dog") was the largest species of the family Thylacinidae, originally known from a single poorly preserved fossil discovered by Michael O. Woodburne in 1967 in a Late Miocene locality near Alice Springs, Nor ...

'', both of which are estimated to have been in a range of 38.7 and 57.3 kilograms. The type material was exceptionally fragmented in its sandstone deposition at Alcoota, requiring the assembly of the dentary for examination and comparison. The first reconstruction of the specimen was modified by the describing author. Murray's reconstruction is of one larger and more robust dentition and palate than ''T. cynocephalus'', but resembling the gracile and elongated snout, more so than the species ''T. potens''.

References

External links

Natural WorldsThylacinus
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5494736 Prehistoric thylacines Prehistoric mammals of Australia Oligocene marsupials