''Zygomaturus'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus of giant marsupial belonging to the family Diprotodontidae which inhabited Australia from the Late Miocene to

Late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of ...

Description

It was a large animal, weighing 500 kg (1100 lbs) or over 700 kg (1544 lbs) and standing about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall and 2.5 m (8.2 ft) long.

Palaeobiology

In an analysis of remains from Cuddie Springs, the carbon isotope ratios suggests that it consumed both C₃ and C₄ plants, with a dental microwear texture indicative of browsing. Preserved remains suggest that ''Zygomaturus'' was widely distributed over Australia during the Pleistocene.

Evolution and extinction

The earliest members of the genus such as ''Zygomaturus gilli'' appeared during the Late Miocene, during the regional Waitean faunal stage. It is thought that the youngest species, ''Zygomaturus trilobus'' became extinct curing the latter half of the

, with typical estimates being about 45,000 years ago, around the time of Aboriginal arrival in Australia. A surprisingly late date between 33.3 ±3.7 Kya and 36.7 ±5.1 Kya was reported in 2017 from the Willandra Lakes Region in New South Wales, which if correct would represent the latest known date for any Australian Megafauna.

Related genera

References

*'' Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (Life of the Past)'' by Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas Hewitt Rich, Francesco Coffa, and Steven Morton *''Marsupial Nutrition'' by Ian D. Hume * *''Life of Marsupials'' by Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe *'' Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime (Life of the Past)'' by Peter F. Murray, Patricia Vickers-Rich, and Pat Vickers Rich *'' Classification of Mammals'' by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell *'' Australia's Lost World: Prehistoric Animals of Riversleigh'' by Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand, and Henk Godthelp * ''World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures: The Ultimate Visual Reference To 1000 Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Creatures Of Land, Air And Sea ... And Cretaceous Eras (World Encyclopedia)'' by Dougal Dixon * ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Prehistoric Life'' by Dougal Dixon

External links