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]
In an analysis of remains fromCuddie Springs, the carbon isotope ratios suggests that it consumed bothC3 andC4 plants, with adental microwear texture indicative ofbrowsing.[6] Preserved remains suggest thatZygomaturus was widely distributed over Australia during thePleistocene.[7]
The earliest members of the genus such asZygomaturus gilli appeared during the LateMiocene, around 8 million years ago.[8] It is thought that the youngest species,Zygomaturus trilobus became extinct during the latter half of theLate Pleistocene, with typical estimates being about 45,000 years ago, around the time ofAboriginal 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 theWillandra Lakes Region in New South Wales, which if correct would represent the latest known date for any extinct Australian Megafauna.[10]
^Peter F. Murray, Patricia Vickers-Rich, 2004, Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime, p.326, Indiana University Press
^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.Bibcode:2017QSRv..157..206W.doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.11.031.
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
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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