Paleontologists from Flinders University have described three unusual new species of giant fossil kangaroo from Australia and New Guinea, finding them more diverse in shape, range and hopping method than previously thought.
The new Flinders University study reviewed all species of Protemnodon, finding that they were quite different from one another.
The Australian researchers discovered two other new species—Protemnodon mamkurra and Protemnodon dawsonae—while also revisiting the work of earlier researchers including British naturalist Sir Richard Owen who coined the term “dinosaur” in Victorian England.
Successive studies have whittled away at some of these early descriptions; however, the new Flinders University study agrees with one of his species, Protemnodon anak.
Dr. Kerr says the best fossils of this species come from Green Waterhole Cave in southeastern South Australia, on the land of the Boandik people.
The third of the new species, Protemnodon dawsonae, is known from fewer fossils than the other two, and is more of a mystery.
“Living kangaroos are already such remarkable animals, so it’s amazing to think what these peculiar giant kangaroos could have been getting up to.”
While Protemnodon fossils are fairly common across Australia, they have historically been found “isolated,” or, as individual bones without the rest of the animal.
Flinders University paleontologists have identified three novel species of giant fossil kangaroos from Australia and New Guinea, discovering that their morphology, distribution, and hopping technique differ from each other more than previously believed.
Within the extinct genus Protemnodon, which flourished between 5 million and 40,000 years ago, are three new species, one of which is roughly twice as large as the largest red kangaroo extant today.
The study is in response to the finding in 2013–2018–2019 of several complete fossil kangaroo skeletons from Lake Callabonna in dry South Australia. The principal investigator, Dr. Isaac Kerr, who was then a Ph. D. student, to solve the nearly 150-year-old riddle concerning the Protemnodon species’ identities.
Megataxa has published an article by Isaac AR Kerr, Aaron B Camens, Jacob D van Zoelen, Trevor H Worthy, and Gavin J Prideaux titled “Systematics and palaeobiology of kangaroos of the late Cenozoic genus Protemnodon (Marsupialia, Macropodidae).”.
After reviewing every Protemnodon species, the recent study from Flinders University discovered that they were highly diverse from one another. In order to survive in various habitats, the species even developed unique jumping techniques.
Protemnodon were typically more muscular and squat, resembling a gray kangaroo in appearance. Certain species weighed about 50 kg, while others were significantly bigger than any kangaroo that is still alive.
Protemnodon viator, a new species identified in the most recent study, was significantly larger and could weigh up to 170 kg. Compared to the largest male red kangaroos, this is roughly twice as much.
Protemnodon viator, who lived in regions akin to those inhabited by modern red kangaroos, was ideally suited to its dry environment in central Australia. It was a long-limbed kangaroo with reasonably quick and effective hopping. The Latin term for it, viator, means “traveler” or “wayfarer.”. “.
In addition to reviewing the work of past researchers, such as British naturalist Sir Richard Owen, who first used the term “dinosaur” in Victorian England, the Australian scientists also found two other new species: Protemnodon mamkurra and Protemnodon dawsonae.
British paleontologist Owen identified the first Protemnodon species in 1874, primarily concentrating on fossil teeth as was the prevailing practice at the time. He identified six species of Protemnodon and noted minute variations in the teeth of his specimens.
A number of these early descriptions have been eroded by subsequent research, but the latest study from Flinders University supports Protemnodon anak, one of his species. The holotype, the original specimen that was described, is currently kept at the Natural History Museum in London.
Dr. It was previously proposed, according to Kerr, that some or all Protemnodon were quadrupedal. Though our research indicates that this is only true of three or four Protemnodon species, it is possible that these animals occasionally hopped on two legs and occasionally bounced on four legs, much like a quokka or potoroo.
One of these is probably the recently described Protemnodon mamkurra. It was probably a large, robust kangaroo with thick bones that moved slowly and inefficiently. It might have only hopped in response to being startled. “.
Dr. Kerr claims that the best fossils of this species are found in Green Waterhole Cave, which is located on the Boandik people’s ancestral land in southeast South Australia. Elders from Boandik and linguists from the Burrandies Corporation selected the species name, mamkurra. “Great kangaroo” is what it means. “.
According to him, it is uncommon for a single genus of kangaroo to inhabit such a variety of habitats. It is currently understood that the various Protemnodon species have lived in a wide variety of environments, ranging from the arid regions of central Australia to the heavily forested mountains of Tasmania and New Guinea, both of which receive heavy rainfall. ****.
With less fossil evidence than the other two, Protemnodon dawsonae, the third of the new species, is still largely unknown. Like a swamp wallaby, it was probably a mid-speed hopper.
It was named in recognition of the research conducted by Australian paleontologist Dr. Lyndall Dawson, who examined the systematics of kangaroos and the fossil material from “Big Sink,” the area of the Wellington Caves in New South Wales from which the species is primarily known.
Dr. Kerr collected data for the study by studying “just about every piece of Protemnodon there is,” which involved visiting collections of 14 museums across four countries. “.
“Measuring, comparing, and characterizing more than 800 specimens that we photographed and 3D scanned from all over Australia and New Guinea. That took a lot of work.
Finally releasing it into the world after five years of research, 261 pages, and over 100,000 words feels amazing. To learn more about the activities of these kangaroos, I sincerely hope that it facilitates further research on Protemnodon.
It’s incredible to consider what these unusual giant kangaroos might have been up to, considering how amazing living kangaroos are already. ****.
Although Protemnodon fossils are relatively common in Australia, in the past, they have only ever been discovered “isolated,” that is, as individual bones separated from the rest of the animal. Due to this, it has been challenging for paleontologists studying Protemnodon to determine the number of species, distinguish between them, and understand how the species varied in terms of size, geographic range, mobility, and environmental adaptations.
Though they may have persisted for a little while longer in New Guinea and Tasmania, Protemnodon became extinct on the Australian mainland around 40,000 years ago. They differed in size, habitat, adaptations, and geographic range, yet this extinction still happened.
Many closely related animals, like wallaroos and gray kangaroos, did not experience the same fate for unknown reasons. With some assistance from this study, future research may soon provide an answer to this query.
According to Flinders Professor Gavin Prideaux, a co-author of the significant new article in Megataxa, “it’s great to have some clarity on the identities of the species of Protemnodon.”.
The majority of the time, it is impossible to tell which species you are looking at despite the genus’s widespread and frequent discovery of fossils. When working with Protemnodon, researchers may feel more at ease thanks to this study. “.
