Illustration by Peter Schouten
Posted on 07/04/2022 12:17:27 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Long ago, almost up until the end of the last ice age, a peculiar giant kangaroo roamed the mountainous rainforests of New Guinea.
Now, research published by myself and colleagues suggests this kangaroo was not closely related to modern Australian kangaroos. Rather, it represents a previously unknown type of primitive kangaroo unique to New Guinea.
Australia used to be home to all manner of giant animals called megafauna, until most of them went extinct about 40,000 years ago. These megafauna lived alongside animals we now consider characteristic of the Australian bush – kangaroos, koalas, crocodiles and the like – but many were larger species of these.
There were giant wombats called Phascolonus, 2.5-metre-tall short-faced kangaroos, and the 3-tonne Diprotodon optatum (the largest marsupial ever). In fact, some Australian megafaunal species, such as the red kangaroo, emu and cassowary, survive through to the modern day...
The fossils Flannery described are about 20,000–50,000 years old. They come from the Nombe Rockshelter, an archaeological and palaeontological site in the mountains of central Papua New Guinea. This site also delivered fossils of another kangaroo and giant four-legged marsupials called diprotodontids...
In those days, the islands of New Guinea and Australia were connected by a land bridge due to lower sea levels – whereas today they're separated by the Torres Strait.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...
Well, you can rock it you can roll it, do the stomp and even stroll it at the hop.
Put him under oath to testify at Jan 6 committee!!
A three ton wombat? Easy, big fella.
Reminds me of that pandaroo I saw one night.
Global warming to blame.
All those marsupials driving SUVs instead of Prius.
We have been warned
Less than twelve years.....
Wait! They know all this from a jaw bone? Did I miss something?
High school?
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