Up until the arrival of man onto the Australian continent, some 60 thousand years ago, full-grown Diprotodons had only to look out for creatures like the Varanus priscus, or the Quinkana. And since it was so big, it had little to worry about in terms of predators. Its pouch was also facing backwards, which didn’t allow for any dirt to collect inside while digging. It is more probable that it used its claws to search for roots. But given its immense size, it’s unlikely for the Diprotodon to have done so, and was most likely a family trait inherited from smaller burrowing ancestors. This was later disproven since it’s now generally accepted that the fossils found belonged to both males and females, which were somewhat different in size.Ī relative to the present day wombat, the Diprotodon had toes which pointed inwards and which were especially suited for digging burrows. Initial findings suggested that there were more than one possible species of Diprotodon, with some being smaller than others. Since the remains of hundreds of creatures have been found all over Australia, it is relatively safe to say that no other animal from that time period or location was larger. Often times compared to a rhinoceros, this herbivorous beast measured 10 feet long by 6.5 feet tall, and weighed 6,100 pounds, making it the largest marsupial mammal to have ever existed.
Up to this point, the largest of the Australian megafauna to have ever been discovered on the continent is the Diprotodon. This was an age for the mega-fauna, and we’ll be discussing 10 of them, in no particular order. When humans first arrived there, some 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, they discovered a land so foreign and with creatures so strange and deadly, their present-day counterparts can’t even compete. But since Antarctica “decided” to become a Popsicle and South America became connected with its northern counterpart some 3 million years ago, only Australia remained with its unique life forms unaltered. Like South America and Antarctica, Australia was floating adrift on the oceans, isolated from all other continents and as a result, developed some truly “alien” life forms, found nowhere else on Earth. Huge prehistoric forests covered all of these places until they began to break apart as well, slowly moving into their present day locations. This huge piece of land was comprised of South America, Africa, India, Antarctica and Australia. About 180 million years ago, this immense landmass began to break apart in two large chunks.
But why do people say this about this place, and not anywhere else? To answer this question we need to take a look at the planet’s distant past.Ĭomplex life began to take a foothold on land during a time when all present-day continents were connected, forming a super-continent known as Pangaea. Most plants and animals living there are quite unique and many even dangerous to the unprepared or the unaware. While this is mostly for fun, there is a kernel of truth to this statement.
You’ve probably heard the “story” where all animals in Australia are just there to kill people.
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