|
| Marsupial lion Temporal range: Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Infraclass: | |
| Order: | |
| Genus: | Thylacoleo |
| Species: | T. carnifex |
| Binomial name | |
| Thylacoleo carnifex Owen, 1859 | |
The Marsupial lion, Thylacoleo, is an extinct carnivorous marsupial which lived in Australia from 1,600,000 to 46,000 years ago. It was the largest marsupial carnivore to have lived in Australia.Fossil remains on the dry Nullarbor Plain show that humans and climate change probably caused the extinction of the Australian megafauna about 45,000 years ago.
The animal was robust with powerfully built jaws and very strong forelimbs. It had retractable claws, unique among marsupials. This allowed the claws to remain sharp by protecting them from wear when walking. The claws were well-suited to holding prey and for climbing trees. The first digits ("thumbs") on each hand were semi-opposable and bore an enlarged claw. Palaeontologists believe that this would have been used to grapple with its prey, and gave a sure footing on tree trunks and branches. The hind feet had four functional toes, the first digit being much reduced in size but possessing a roughened pad similar to that of possums. It may have assisted with climbing. It is unclear whether the marsupial lion had syndactyly (fused second and third toes) like other diprotodonts.
 |
|
