''Wakaleo'' (indigenous Australian ''waka'', "little", "small", and Latin ''leo'', "lion") was a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of medium-sized thylacoleonids that lived in Australia in the Late Oligocene and

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 ...

Epochs. Although much smaller than its close relative, the marsupial lion (''

Thylacoleo carnifex ''Thylacoleo'' ("pouch lion") is an extinct genus of carnivorous marsupials that lived in Australia from the late Pliocene to the late Pleistocene (2 million to 46 thousand years ago). Some of these marsupial lions were the largest mammalian pred ...

''), ''Wakaleo'' would have been a successful hunter. It had teeth specially designed for cutting and stabbing. The genus is from an extinct family of

Vombatiformes The Vombatiformes are one of the three suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. Seven of the nine known families within this suborder are extinct; only the families Phascolarctidae, with the koala, and Vombatidae, with three extan ...

, so it is distantly related to the herbivorous

wombat Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials that are native to Australia. They are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . All three of the extant species are members of the family Vombatidae. They are adap ...

Taxonomy

''Wakaleo'' was erected in 1974 by W. A. Clemens and M. Plane. Five species are known: *''

Wakaleo alcootaensis ''Wakaleo alcootaensis'' was a species of marsupial lion of the genus ''Wakaleo'', that lived during the late Miocene, about 10 million years ago. Taxonomy The first description was given in an examination of material discovered at Alcoota in ...

'' was found in the Miocene

Waite Formation Waite may refer to: People * Waite (name) * An alternative spelling for Wait (musician) Other * Waite, Maine, a town in the United States * Waite Research Precinct, located in the Adelaide suburb of Urrbrae, South Australia ** Waite Campus of ...

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 ...

in 1974. It was slightly larger than the other two species. *''

Wakaleo oldfieldi ''Wakaleo oldfieldi'' is an extinct species of marsupial lions of the genus ''Wakaleo'', found in Miocene deposits of South Australia. It had three unfused molar teeth instead of two fused molars as is the case with the Pleistocene ''Thylacol ...

'' was found by a group of scientists working in the Miocene Wipijiri Formation in southern Australia in 1971. They found a nearly complete left dentary which included a few well-preserved teeth. *''

Wakaleo pitikantensis ''Wakaleo pitikantensis'' is a species of carnivorous marsupial that was discovered at fossil sites in South Australia. Taxonomy The description by Rauscher was published in 1987, naming a new species and genus as ''Priscileo pitikantensis''. ...

'' described by Rauscher as the type species of the genus ''Priscileo'' in 1987B. Rauscher. 1987. Priscileo pitikantensis, a new genus and species of thylacoleonid marsupial (Marsupialia: Thylacoleonidae) from the Miocene Etaduma formation, South Australia. ''Possums and Opossums: Studies in Evolution'' 2:423-432 and placed with this genus in a revision published in 2017. *''

Wakaleo schouteni ''Wakaleo schouteni'' is a species of carnivorous marsupial that was discovered at fossil sites in South Australia. Taxonomy The description of the species was published in 2017, the collaborating authors Anna Gillespie, Mike Archer and Suzanne ...

'' Gillespie, Archer & Hand, 2017, a mid-sized species of the genus. *''

Wakaleo vanderleuri ''Wakaleo vanderleuri'' is a species of marsupial lion of the genus ''Wakaleo'', that lived in Australia during the Miocene (about 16 to 10million years ago). Description Being a marsupial, it is not closely related to true cats. This animal i ...

'' was first found by field workers in 1967 in the Miocene

Camfield Beds Camfield is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anne Camfield (1808–1896), Australian photographer, pioneer teacher and headmistress * Bill Camfield (1929–1991), American television personality *Douglas Camfield Douglas Ga ...

in the Northern Territory. Many more specimens have been found since then.

Description

''Wakaleo'' is a genus of the thylacoleonid family of predatory mammals, which are known as marsupial lions. The size of ''Wakaleo'' species increases from smaller animals in the early part of the fossil record, an apparent morphocline that terminated in a predator able to kill animals much larger than itself.

References

Tertiary Genera of Thylacoleonidae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q140445 Miocene mammals of Australia Miocene marsupials Prehistoric marsupial genera Fossil taxa described in 1974 Taxa named by William A. Clemens Jr. Carnivorous marsupials