Biology:Phascolonus

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Short description: Extinct genus of giant wombat

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = Pliocene–Late Pleistocene

| image = Phascolonus.jpg | image_caption = Fossil | image2 = Giant Wombat (Phascolonus gigas).png | image2_caption = Life restoration | taxon = Phascolonus | authority = Owen, 1872 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = * P. gigas (Owen, 1859) | synonyms = *Phascolomys magnus

Phascolonus crop.JPG

Phascolonus is an extinct genus of giant wombat known from the Pliocene[1] and Pleistocene of Australia. There is only a single known species, Phascolonus gigas, the largest wombat ever known to have existed, estimated to weigh as much as 200 kg (450 lb)[2] or 360 kg (790 lb).[3] It was described by Richard Owen in 1859. Phascolomys magnus is a probable junior synonym.[3] P. gigas is distinguished from other wombats by its strap-shaped upper incisors. The cranial roof is noticeably inwardly depressed.[3] The species was abundant across Australia, with remains having been found in all states except Western Australia. It is suggested to have had a preference for arid and semi-arid inland habitats, with a diet consisting of a high amount of low quality vegetation. Though it likely had wide home-ranges, it probably did not stray far from fresh water sources.[4] Abundant remains have been found in Pleistocene aged deposits from Lake Callabonna in South Australia.[3] Unlike its living relatives, it is unlikely that Phascolonus engaged in burrowing.[5] Phascolonus disappeared during the Late Pleistocene Quaternary extinction event around 50-40,000 years ago, together with many other large Australian animals, following the arrival of humans to the Australian continent.[4][6] Phylogenetic analysis suggests that is closely related to the other giant wombat genera Ramsayia and Sedophascolomys.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Louys, Julien (2015-07-03). "Wombats (Vombatidae: Marsupialia) from the Pliocene Chinchilla Sand, southeast Queensland, Australia" (in en). Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 39 (3): 394–406. doi:10.1080/03115518.2015.1014737. ISSN 0311-5518. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2015.1014737. 
  2. ↑ Long, John A.; Archer, Michael; Flannery, Tim; Hand, Suzanne (2002). Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution. University of New South Wales Press. pp. 161–162. ISBN 978-0-8018-7223-5. OCLC 49860159. https://books.google.com/books?id=92yhnRHdxSoC. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Louys, Julien; Duval, Mathieu; Beck, Robin M. D.; Pease, Eleanor; Sobbe, Ian; Sands, Noel; Price, Gilbert J. (November 2022). Hautier, Lionel. ed. "Cranial remains of Ramsayia magna from the Late Pleistocene of Australia and the evolution of gigantism in wombats (Marsupialia, Vombatidae)" (in en). Papers in Palaeontology 8 (6). doi:10.1002/spp2.1475. ISSN 2056-2799. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.1475. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dawson, Lyndall (January 2006). "An ecophysiological approach to the extinction of large marsupial herbivores in middle and late Pleistocene Australia" (in en). Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 30 (sup1): 89–114. doi:10.1080/03115510609506857. ISSN 0311-5518. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03115510609506857. 
  5. ↑ Woolnough, Andrew P.; Steele, Vernon R. (March 2001). "The palaeoecology of the Vombatidae: did giant wombats burrow?" (in en). Mammal Review 31 (1): 33–45. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2907.2001.00077.x. ISSN 0305-1838. http://doi.wiley.com/10.1046/j.1365-2907.2001.00077.x. 
  6. ↑ Hocknull, Scott A.; Lewis, Richard; Arnold, Lee J.; Pietsch, Tim; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud; Price, Gilbert J.; Moss, Patrick; Wood, Rachel et al. (2020-05-18). "Extinction of eastern Sahul megafauna coincides with sustained environmental deterioration" (in en). Nature Communications 11 (1): 2250. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-15785-w. ISSN 2041-1723. PMID 32418985. 

Wikidata ☰ Q2705250 entry




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