| Murrayglossus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Life reconstruction | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Monotremata |
| Family: | Tachyglossidae |
| Genus: | †Murrayglossus Flanneryet al.,2022 |
| Species: | †M. hacketti |
| Binomial name | |
| †Murrayglossus hacketti (Glauert, 1914) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Murrayglossus is anextinctgenus ofechidna from thePleistocene ofWestern Australia. It contains a single species,Murrayglossus hacketti, also calledHackett's giant echidna. Though only from a few bones, researchers suggest thatMurrayglossus was the largest monotreme to have ever lived, measuring around 1 metre (3.3 ft) long and weighing around 20–30 kilograms (44–66 lb).[1][2] Historically treated as a species oflong-beaked echidnas,[1][3] it was separated into its own genusMurrayglossus in 2022. The generic name combines the last name of paleontologist Peter Murray andglossus, the Greek word for "tongue".[2]
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At around 1 m (3.3 ft) long and weighing about 20–30 kg (44–66 lb),M. hacketti was the largest monotreme known to have existed.[1][2]M. hacketti had longer, straighter legs than any of the modern echidnas. Augee (2006) speculates that this feature made the animal more adept at traversing through thickly wooded forests.[1] The main diagnostic characteristics of genusMurrayglossus are a set offemoral traits: a low femoral head; the very low position of thelesser trochanter relative to head (situated directly below the internal margin of the femur); the largetrochanter that has a high position relative to the head; a flaredmedial epicondyle; and obliquely orientedcondyles.[2]
Fossils ofMurrayglossus hacketti were discovered inMammoth Cave,Western Australia, and excavated in 1909. They were found mixed with the remains of other taxa such asSthenurus andMacropus. Australian paleontologistLudwig Glauert described the fossils in a 1914 publication. Thespecific epithethacketti honoursJohn Winthrop Hackett, "as a slight acknowledgement of his generous support which alone rendered the exploration of these caves possible.".[4] The material is poor, mostlyvertebra and leg bones, and the cranial material is completely absent, makingM. hacketti's historical classification into the genusZaglossus uncertain.[1] Some of the fossils have incisions and burn marks, suggesting thatM. hacketti was at least occasionally hunted by humans.[5]
Aboriginal rock art found inArnhem Land in theNorthern Territory may representM. hacketti or the extantwestern long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijni).[6][7]
