SYDNEY, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palaeontologists uncovered the most complete remains of an ancient giant wombat for the first time, giving people fresh insight into the little-known megafauna.
In a study published in Papers in Palaeontology on Monday, a research team led by Griffith University's Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution concluded a study of a skull from the species called Ramsayia magna, which was found at Johannsen's Cave in the state of Queensland in the early 2000s and estimated to be around 80,000 years old.
Researchers noted in an article in the Conversation website that Ramsayia magna - comparable in size to "sheep" - was one of the three giant wombats that scientists were aware of, however, it was previously only known from isolated tooth and jaw fragments.
"The discovery of the most complete skull of one of these giants, Ramsayia, has provided us with an opportunity to reconstruct what this creature looked like, where and when it lived, and how the evolution of giant wombats took place in Australia," said Julien Louys, lead author and palaeontologist from the Griffith University.
Louys said the team found the Ramsayia had extensive cranial sinuses, indicating that the wombat had a large, rounded skull for the attachment of specific and strong chewing muscles. It also possessed a "premaxillary spine", an indication that it had a large, fleshy nose.
"In this paper, we show that all true giant wombats evolved large body sizes first, then individually became quite specialised to eat different types of grasses," he said.
Researchers said while the Diprotodon, the small car-sized extinct species that is distantly related to wombats, is commonly thought to be Australia's giant wombat, this is incorrect as Diprotodon belongs to an entirely different family - equivalent to saying a hippo is just a giant pig.
They added, the true giant wombat Ramsayia was also found to exist much earlier than human's arrival in Australia, although they still don't know exactly when or why this species became extinct. ■
