The extraordinary osteology and functional morphology of the limbs in Palorchestidae, a family of strange extinct marsupial giants.

ABSTRACT: The Palorchestidae are a family of marsupial megafauna occurring across the eastern Australian continent from the late Oligocene through to their extinction in the Late Pleistocene. The group is known for their odd 'tapir-like' crania and distinctive clawed forelimbs, but their appendicular anatomy has never been formally described. We provide the first descriptions of the appendicular skeleton and body mass estimates for three palorchestid species, presenting newly-identified, and in some cases associated, material of mid-Miocene Propalorchestes, Plio-Pleistocene Palorchestes parvus and Pleistocene Palorchestes azael alongside detailed comparisons with extant and fossil vombatiform marsupials. We propose postcranial diagnostic characters at the family, genus and species level. Specialisat

SUBMITTER: Richards HL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6744111 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature