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Ancient Extinct Kangaroos Had Wide Ranging Plant Diets

AN AUSTRALIAN study has discovered two new species of extinct kangaroos that lived in ancient rainforests between 24 to 18 million years ago.

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The Western Australian Museum’s curator of mammalogy, said Dr Kenny Travouillon, “Our analysis of the teeth and bones shows that these two new species (Gumardee springae and Gumardee richi) are related to bettongs and potoroos — members of the rat-kangaroo family Potoroidae.”

Gumardee springae lived about 24 million years ago, while Gumardee richi lived between 20 and 18 million years ago.

Fossil jaws of the giant bettong kangaroo. Picture: WA Museum

The two new species were recovered from several fossil deposits at the Riversleigh world heritage area in northern-western Queensland.

Dr Travouillon said that like bettongs and potoroos, the new discoveries have a set of long teeth which they used to chew fungi.

Bettongs and potoroos are small marsupials, weighing between 500g and 3.5kg, but the new species are larger, estimated to weigh 4-6kg, hence the nickname ‘giant bettong’.”

“In this second study, we have found that ancient kangaroos didn’t feed on grass like most kangaroos do today, but instead some ate leaves from trees and shrubs, while others ate a wide variety of foods. One of the new species (Gumardee springae) was found to be predominantly a leaf eater,’ said Dr Travouillon.

“We also found that some members of the ancient family of fanged-kangaroos which was thought to be unable to hop were actually probably able to climb trees instead, while others hopped on the ground.”

The study is significant because it shows that at least twice kangaroos evolved the ability to climb trees, a feature for which they are not well-known. Today, there are several species of tree-kangaroos, two living in the rainforests of northeastern Queensland, and 10 others living in New Guinea and surrounding islands.


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