Scientists believe Thylacoleo carnifex was in all likelihood a victim of the drying out of Australia, which began nigh 350,000 years ago, rather than from the touching of humans.
 |
| Thylacoleo carnifex was smaller than an African lioness, but with lxxx per cent equally powerful a seize with teeth as a large African Panthera leo [Credit: Peter Schouten] |
Palaeontologists from UNSW Sydney, University of Queensland in addition to Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) addressed the interrogation nigh the demise of the marsupial Panthera leo yesteryear looking into the powerful carnivore's chemistry.
By studying the chemic signature preserved inside fossil teeth, the squad was able to make upwards one's heed that the marsupial Panthera leo hunted primarily inward forests, rather than opened upwards habitats. This is supported yesteryear features of the skeleton that dot it was an ambush hunter, relying on catching its prey unaware rather than running them downwardly across an opened upwards landscape.
For nearly 2 1 G one thousand years the marsupial Panthera leo was 1 of Australia's occur predators. The animals were sized betwixt leopards in addition to African lionesses but had a seize with teeth that was nigh lxxx per cent equally potent equally a large lion, enabling it to musical rhythm out bones with its powerful jaws.
The report led yesteryear Professor Larisa DeSantis of Vanderbilt University posited that, despite existence well-adapted for consuming flesh in addition to bone, Thylacoleo was probable the victim of the drying out of Australia, which began nigh 350,000 years ago.
The marsupial lions persisted for thousands of years afterwards, equally to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than forests disappeared. The animals survived fifty-fifty yesteryear the influx of humans to the continent roughly 60,000 years ago. Ultimately, the loss of wood habitats probable led to the extinction of these predators, with the final known tape onetime betwixt but about 35 in addition to 45 G years ago.
"These information supply bear witness that the marsupial Panthera leo was an ambush predator in addition to relied on prey that occupied denser cover," Professor DeSantis said.
"As the landscape became drier in addition to forests less-dense, these apex predators may convey instruct less-effective hunters in addition to succumbed to extinction.
"The report of these ancient fossils provides us with cautionary lessons for the future: climate alter tin touching fifty-fifty the fiercest predators."
Specialised
The marsupial Panthera leo lived amongst the Thylacine, which survived until the 20th century. The preference of the Thylacine for prey from to a greater extent than opened upwards habitats probable led to its survival, despite having a much weaker seize with teeth than Thylacoleo carnifex.
Professor Michael Archer, a vertebrate palaeontologist at the University of New South Wales in addition to 1 of the researchers involved said that because of its extraordinarily specialised dentition, Thylacoleo carnifex has been declared to live the most specialised mammalian carnivore that e'er evolved anywhere inward the world.
"Marsupial lions were far to a greater extent than specialised than African lions. They fifty-fifty had a proportionately larger encephalon than African lions besides equally large, uniquely formidable, large can-opener-like pollex claws," Professor Archer said.
"What's increasingly clear right away is that it champaign survived the arrival of humans 60,000 years ago, but apparently non the profound impacts of a speedily drying climate that undermined the survival of a make of megafaunal mammals inward Australia."
According to Professor Archer, Thylacoleo carnifex was the final illustration of this extraordinary grouping of flesh-eating marsupials. He said it was the largest of many kinds documented yesteryear Dr. Anna Gillespie of UNSW, on the footing of the 25 million-year-long fossil tape from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area inward Queensland. This tape includes pussy-cat-sized marsupial carnivores similar Microleo attenboroughi in addition to leopard-sized species similar Wakaleo schouteni.
Study co-author Gilbert Price of the University of Queensland said: "When you're large in addition to bitey, yous tin swallow pretty much anything yous want. But our findings demo that fifty-fifty the occur predators are no stand upwards for for extreme climate change."
Source: University of New South Wales [October 19, 2018]
Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com
For nearly 2 1 G one thousand years the marsupial Panthera leo was 1 of Australia's occur predators. The animals were sized betwixt leopards in addition to African lionesses but had a seize with teeth that was nigh lxxx per cent equally potent equally a large lion, enabling it to musical rhythm out bones with its powerful jaws.
The report led yesteryear Professor Larisa DeSantis of Vanderbilt University posited that, despite existence well-adapted for consuming flesh in addition to bone, Thylacoleo was probable the victim of the drying out of Australia, which began nigh 350,000 years ago.
The marsupial lions persisted for thousands of years afterwards, equally to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than forests disappeared. The animals survived fifty-fifty yesteryear the influx of humans to the continent roughly 60,000 years ago. Ultimately, the loss of wood habitats probable led to the extinction of these predators, with the final known tape onetime betwixt but about 35 in addition to 45 G years ago.
"These information supply bear witness that the marsupial Panthera leo was an ambush predator in addition to relied on prey that occupied denser cover," Professor DeSantis said.
"As the landscape became drier in addition to forests less-dense, these apex predators may convey instruct less-effective hunters in addition to succumbed to extinction.
"The report of these ancient fossils provides us with cautionary lessons for the future: climate alter tin touching fifty-fifty the fiercest predators."
Specialised
The marsupial Panthera leo lived amongst the Thylacine, which survived until the 20th century. The preference of the Thylacine for prey from to a greater extent than opened upwards habitats probable led to its survival, despite having a much weaker seize with teeth than Thylacoleo carnifex.
Professor Michael Archer, a vertebrate palaeontologist at the University of New South Wales in addition to 1 of the researchers involved said that because of its extraordinarily specialised dentition, Thylacoleo carnifex has been declared to live the most specialised mammalian carnivore that e'er evolved anywhere inward the world.
"Marsupial lions were far to a greater extent than specialised than African lions. They fifty-fifty had a proportionately larger encephalon than African lions besides equally large, uniquely formidable, large can-opener-like pollex claws," Professor Archer said.
"What's increasingly clear right away is that it champaign survived the arrival of humans 60,000 years ago, but apparently non the profound impacts of a speedily drying climate that undermined the survival of a make of megafaunal mammals inward Australia."
According to Professor Archer, Thylacoleo carnifex was the final illustration of this extraordinary grouping of flesh-eating marsupials. He said it was the largest of many kinds documented yesteryear Dr. Anna Gillespie of UNSW, on the footing of the 25 million-year-long fossil tape from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area inward Queensland. This tape includes pussy-cat-sized marsupial carnivores similar Microleo attenboroughi in addition to leopard-sized species similar Wakaleo schouteni.
Study co-author Gilbert Price of the University of Queensland said: "When you're large in addition to bitey, yous tin swallow pretty much anything yous want. But our findings demo that fifty-fifty the occur predators are no stand upwards for for extreme climate change."
Source: University of New South Wales [October 19, 2018]
Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:
