Palaeopotorous
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''Palaeopotorous priscus'' is a fossil species of a diprotodont marsupial, known from specimens obtained in central Australia. The animal was similar to the modern species of the family
Potoroidae Potoroidae is a family of marsupials, small Australian animals known as bettongs, potoroos, and rat-kangaroos. All are rabbit-sized, brown, jumping marsupials and resemble a large rodent or a very small wallaby. Taxonomy The potoroids are s ...
, the potoroos and bettongs.


Taxonomy

The only known species of its genus, ''Palaeopotorous'', which has been allied to the subfamily
Potoroinae Potoroidae is a family of marsupials, small Australian animals known as Bettong, bettongs, Potoroo, potoroos, and rat-kangaroos. All are rabbit-sized, brown, jumping marsupials and resemble a large rodent or a very small wallaby. Taxonomy The ...
or as the type of a subfamily, Palaeopotoroinae, in the potoroid family.


Description

The dental evidence of the species indicates it was a similar size to a small to medium rat-kangaroos that were common into the twentieth century. Since its first discovery, the species has been suspected of representing an early lineage of the macropods. The finds have been placed to the
late Oligocene The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale The geologic time scale or geological time scale (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the pro ...
period, for which the fossil record of early macropods is otherwise absent. ''Palaeopotorous priscus'' has been proposed to be the earliest known lineage of macropod, sharing the rudiments of features found in the smaller rat-kangaroos and larger kangaroos and wallabies.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q49148253 Prehistoric marsupial genera Potoroids