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Thylacoleo Fossil range: late Pliocene—late Pleistocene |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | †Thylacoleonidae |
| Genus: | †Thylacoleo Owen, 1859 |
| Species | |
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Thylacoleo ("Pouch Lion") is an extinct genus of carnivorous marsupials that lived in Australia from the late Pliocene to the late Pleistocene (2 million to 46 thousand years ago). Some of these "marsupial lions" were the largest mammalian predators in Australia of that time, with Thylacoleo carnifex approaching the weight of a small lion.
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Pound for pound, Thylacoleo carnifex had the strongest bite of any mammal species living or extinct; a 100 kg (220 lb) T. carnifex had a bite comparable to that of a 250 kg (550 lb) African Lion[1] and is thought to have hunted large animals such as Diprotodon spp. and giant kangaroos. It also had extremely strong forelimbs, with retractable catlike claws, a trait previously unseen in marsupials. Thylacoleo also possessed enormous hooded claws set on large semi-opposable thumbs, which were used to capture and disembowel prey. The long muscular tail was similar to that of a kangaroo. Specialized tail bones called chevrons allowed the animal to tripod itself, and freed the front legs for slashing and grasping.[2]
Its strong forelimbs, retracting claws and incredibly powerful jaws mean that it may have been possible for Thylacoleo to climb trees and perhaps to carry carcasses to keep the kill for itself (similar to the leopard today). Due to its unique predatory morphology, scientists repeatedly claim Thylacoleo to be the most specialized mammalian carnivore of all time.[3]
Thylacoleo was 71 cm (28 in) at the shoulder and about 114 cm (45 in) long from head to tail. The T. carnifex species is the largest, and skulls indicate they averaged 101 to 130 kg (220 to 290 lb), and individuals reaching 124 to 160 kg (270 to 350 lb) were common.[4]
Thylacoleo was first described by Sir Richard Owen in 1859.
In 2002, eight remarkably complete skeleton of T. carnifex were discovered in a limestone cave under Nullarbor Plain, where the animals fell through a narrow opening in the plain above. Based on the placement of their skeletons, at least some survived the fall, only to die of thirst and starvation.[5][6]
Family: Thylacoleonidae (Marsupial lions)
Marsupial "lion" alludes to the superficial resemblance to the placental lion and its ecological niche as a large predator. Thylacoleo is not related to the modern lion Panthera leo.
Genus: Thylacoleo (Thylacopardus) - Australia's marsupial lions, that lived from about 2 million years ago, during the late Pliocene and became extinct about 30,000 years ago, during the late Pleistocene epoch.
The family it belonged to, the Thylacoleonidae, has fossil representatives (e.g. Priscileo and Wakaleo) dating back to the late Oligocene, some 24 million years.[7]
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Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Marsupialia
Ordo: Diprotodontia
Familia: †Thylacoleonidae
Genus: Thylacoleo
Species: T. carnifex -
T. crassidentatus -
T. hilli
Thylacoleo Owen, 1852
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For more multimedia, look at Category:Thylacoleo on Wikimedia Commons. |
   | Thylacoleo - Australia's Marsupial Lion - Thylacoleo - Australia's Marsupial Lion |
| | BBC News, "Caverns give up huge fossil haul", 25 January 2007 - BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Caverns give up huge fossil haul |
| | Thylacoleo in Pleistocene Australia - Thylacoleo Imagery - Photography of Australian Fauna and Flora. |
| | Steve Wroe's Web Page: Australian Megafauna - Stephen Wroe, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia |
| | Thylacoleo Imagery - The Quest for Thylacoleo. Exploring Australia's wilderness in Search of Thylacoleo, the Thylacine and the Mainland Tasmanian Devil |
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