Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Diprotodon (rhinoceros-sized wombat)

Archaeologists have uncovered teeth from the extinct Diprotodon, a giant wombat-like marsupial, at Lancefield swamp north of Melbourne.

The Dipratodon was was the biggest marsupial that ever lived and was about the size of a rhino.

The teeth found are quite long (40mm) and wide. The fossils are dated between 50,000 to 80,000 years old from an animal that probably 'got bogged'.

Fossils were first located at the swamp in the 19th century, and there were previous digs at the site in the early 1990s, 2004/5. These animals are unusual with there meat shearing teeth. Todays wombats eat roots and the stems of leaves. 

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