Palorchestes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007)

Palorchestes
Fossil range: Miocene to Pleistocene

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupiala
Suborder:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Palorchestidae
Genus:	Palorchestes
Species:	P. painei P. azael

Binomial name

Palorchestes azael

Palorchestes azael ("ancient leaper") is an extinct species of marsupial.

It was a 2'50 m (8 ft 4 in) long creature that resembled a tapir, possessing a short proboscis (based on the appearance of its nasal bones). Palorchestes front legs bore large claws, probably used to pull down leaves.

Palorchestes azael was a marsupial species that appeared during the Miocene, and went extinct about 40,000 years ago. This creature has been called the "marsupial tapir" because of its long nose. However, Palorchestes was not a tapir. The similarity in nose shape is an example of convergent evolution.

Palorchestes azael was almost as large as a horse. It had claws like those of koalas. The tongue of Palorchestes azael was long and ribbon-like. It walked on four powerful legs. This creature was an herbivore. It is thought to have fed in these ways: pulling up bushes and eating the roots stripping the bark from trees and eating the soft inner part of the trunk.

Fossilized remains of Palorchestes azael have been found at the Naracoorte Caves fossil site in Australia.

It is often described as the most unsightly animal ever made extinct by man.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

Barry Cox, Colin Harrison, R.J.G. Savage, and Brian Gardiner. (1999): The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life. Simon & Schuster.