Zygomaturus

Zygomaturus[2] is an extinct genus of giant marsupial belonging to the family Diprotodontidae which inhabited Australia from the Late Miocene to Late Pleistocene.

Skull of Zygomaturus in various views, from Owen 1859

Zygomaturus
Temporal range:
Skeletal mount of Zygomaturus trilobus at the Melbourne Museum
Restoration of Z. trilobus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: †Diprotodontidae
Subfamily: †Zygomaturinae
Genus: †Zygomaturus
Macleay, 1857
Species
  • †Zygomaturus diahotensis
  • †Zygomaturus gilli
    (Nomen dubium)[1]
  • †Zygomaturus tasmanicus
  • †Zygomaturus trilobus

Description
Z. trilobus jaw

It was a large animal, weighing 500 kg (1100 lbs) or over 700 kg (1544 lbs)[3] and standing about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall and 2.5 m (8.2 ft) long.[4] As in other large marsupials, the sinuses within the skull are very large, likely to reduce weight.[5]

Palaeobiology

In an 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.[6] Preserved remains suggest that Zygomaturus was widely distributed over Australia during the Pleistocene.[7]

Evolution and extinction

The earliest members of the genus such as Zygomaturus gilli appeared during the Late Miocene, around 8 million years ago.[8] It is thought that the youngest species, Zygomaturus trilobus became extinct during the latter half of the Late Pleistocene, with typical estimates being about 45,000 years ago, around the time of Aboriginal arrival in Australia.[9] A surprisingly late date between 33.3 ±3.7 Kya and 36.7 ±5.1 Kya was reported in 2017 from the Willandra Lakes Region in New South Wales, which if correct would represent the latest known date for any Australian Megafauna.[10]

 

References
  1. van Zoelen, J. D.; Camens, A. B.; Worthy, T. H.; Prideaux, G. J. (2023). "Description of the Pliocene marsupial Ambulator keanei gen. nov. (Marsupialia: Diprotodontidae) from inland Australia and its locomotory adaptations". Royal Society Open Science. 10 (5). doi:10.1098/rsos.230211. PMC 10230189.
  2. Literal translation "Big cheekbones"
  3. Peter F. Murray, Patricia Vickers-Rich, 2004, Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime, p.326, Indiana University Press
  4. "Zygomaturus trilobus".
  5. Alana C. Sharp (2014) Sinus and brain size in marsupial megafauna: a case of giant airheads
  6. DeSantis, Larisa R. G.; Field, Judith H.; Wroe, Stephen; Dodson, John R. (May 2017). "Dietary responses of Sahul (Pleistocene Australia–New Guinea) megafauna to climate and environmental change". Paleobiology. 43 (2): 181–195. doi:10.1017/pab.2016.50. ISSN 0094-8373.
  7. Webb, Steve (August 2008). "Megafauna demography and late Quaternary climatic change in Australia: A predisposition to extinction". Boreas. 37 (3): 329–345. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3885.2008.00026.x. S2CID 19561004.
  8. Megirian, Dirk; Prideaux, Gavin J.; Murray, Peter F.; Smit, Neil (2010). "An Australian land mammal age biochronological scheme". Paleobiology. 36 (4): 658–671. doi:10.1666/09047.1. ISSN 0094-8373. S2CID 55376525.
  9. Ellis, Richard (2004). No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species. New York: Harper Perennial. pp. 101. ISBN 0-06-055804-0.
  10. Westaway, Michael C.; Olley, Jon; Grün, Rainer (February 2017). "At least 17,000 years of coexistence: Modern humans and megafauna at the Willandra Lakes, South-Eastern Australia". Quaternary Science Reviews. 157: 206–211. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.11.031.

Further reading
  • Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (Life of the Past) by Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas Hewitt Rich, Francesco Coffa, and Steven Morton
  • Marsupial Nutrition by Ian D. Hume
  • Long, J.; Archer, M.; Flannery, T.; Hand, S. (2002). Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution. University of New South Wales Press. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-0-8018-7223-5. OCLC 49860159.
  • Life of Marsupials by Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe
  • Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime (Life of the Past) by Peter F. Murray, Patricia Vickers-Rich, and Pat Vickers Rich
  • Classification of Mammals by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell
  • Australia's Lost World: Prehistoric Animals of Riversleigh by Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand, and Henk Godthelp
  • World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures: The Ultimate Visual Reference To 1000 Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Creatures Of Land, Air And Sea ... And Cretaceous Eras (World Encyclopedia) by Dougal Dixon
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Prehistoric Life by Dougal Dixon
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