Zygomaturus


Zygomaturus is an extinct genus of giant marsupial from Australia during the Pleistocene, it is the second largest marsupial ever known to have existed, after Diprotodon.

Description

It was a large animal, weighing 500 kg or more and standing about 1.5 m tall and 2.5 m long.

Palaeobiology

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 extinct about 45,000 years ago. Zygomaturus also is believed to have expanded its range toward the interior of the continent along the waterways. It is believed to have lived solitarily or possibly in small herds. Zygomaturus probably ate reeds and sedges by shovelling them up in clumps with its lower incisor teeth. However, in 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,

Extinction

A suprisingly late date of 33-37 Kya is known from the Willandra Lakes Region in New South Wales, the latest known date for any Australian Megafauna. This is well after aboriginal arrival in Australia around 50 Kya.

Related genera