''Thylacinus megiriani'' lived during the late

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

, around 8 million years ago. The area ''T. megiriani'' inhabited in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

was covered in forest with a permanent supply of water. ''Thylacinus megiriani'' was a quadrupedal marsupial predator, that in appearance looked similar to a dog with a long snout. Its molar teeth were specialized for carnivory, the cups and crest were reduced or elongated to give the molars a cutting blade, and in proportion with its body, its teeth were exceptionally large, possibly adding to its body weight. Its estimated weight is over 57 kg. ''Thylacinus megiriani'', along with

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

s and giant

monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and West African Nile monitor, one species is also found in south America as an invasive species. A ...

s, were thought to be the only predators in Alcoota. ''Thylacinus megiriani'' fossils, along with those of '' T. potens'', have been discovered in Alcoota in the Northern Territory, although the remains of ''

Thylacinus ''Thylacinus'' is a genus of extinct carnivorous marsupials in the family Thylacinidae. The only recent member was the thylacine The thylacine (; binomial name ''Thylacinus cynocephalus''), also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or ...

'' in Alcoota are very rare. Paleontologist have found specimens densely packed together that died within a matter of years of one another. Drought and unpredictable weather likely were the cause.

Taxonomy

The description of the species was published in a 1997 study by Peter F. Murray. The holotype was obtained at the Alcoota fossil area by the geologist Dirk Megirian, whose work in carefully excavating the specimen was honoured by the author in the specific epithet ''megiriani''.

Description

A species of ''

'', it was somewhat larger than the recent Tasmanian tiger ''

Thylacinus cynocephalus The thylacine (; binomial name ''Thylacinus cynocephalus''), also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, was a carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. Th ...

'', and similar weight to another late Miocene species ''

Thylacinus potens ''Thylacinus potens'' ("powerful pouched animal") was the largest species of the family Thylacinidae, originally known from a single poorly preserved fossil discovered by Michael O. Woodburne in 1967 in a Late Miocene locality near Alice Springs, ...

'', both of which are estimated to have been in a range of 38.7 and 57.3 kilograms. The type material was exceptionally fragmented in its sandstone deposition at Alcoota, requiring the assembly of the dentary for examination and comparison. The first reconstruction of the specimen was modified by the describing author. Murray's reconstruction is of one larger and more robust dentition and palate than ''T. cynocephalus'', but resembling the gracile and elongated snout, more so than the species ''T. potens''.

References

External links

Natural Worlds

Thylacinus
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5494736 Prehistoric thylacines Prehistoric mammals of Australia Oligocene marsupials