Australia’s fearsome marsupial lion
Thylacoleo carnifex had a huge jaw, sharp teeth, retractable claws – and feet like a possum.
New fossil finds have enabled the first reconstruction of a complete skeleton of the extinct “marsupial lion”, Thylacoleo carnifex.
The bones – which include the first full-length tail and collar-bones not previously known to exist – have opened a window into how the prehistoric beast’s bizarre features made it a deadly predator, according to a report published in the journal PLOS One. Much like the platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus), the marsupial lion had a weird mash-up of features.
Weighing more than 100 kilograms, it was roughly the size of a modern-day jaguar, but unlike the jaguar, or its African lion namesake, Thylacoleo was a pouched marsupial, related to other antipodean icons such as the kangaroo, the koala and the extinct thylacine.
Its jaw – estimated to be the most powerful of any mammal – bore chisellike front teeth and fused cheek teeth, reminiscent of a pair of gardening secateurs, the likes of which aren’t seen in any other mammal.
Its muscular forearms were topped off with fearsome hooked first claws. These were retractable – another unique feature not seen in any other marsupial.