Car-Sized Fossil of Wombat Uncovered in Australia
- 11 years ago
In a recent finding, a prehistoric wombat the size of a small car was dug up on the Mornington Peninsula, which is located south-east of Melbourne, Australia.
In a recent finding, a prehistoric wombat the size of a small car was dug up on the Mornington Peninsula, which is located south-east of Melbourne, Australia.
For those who are unfamiliar with wombats, they are classified as a large, chubby marsupial, or pouched animal. According to scientists, wombats roamed the continent right alongside other giant mammals for millions of years.
Researchers are excited about the new discovery. Museum Victoria’s Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology stated, “It is the most complete and best preserved fossil of this kind of giant megafauna marsupial discovered in Victoria, and it may yet prove to be the most superbly preserved example of this fossil discovered in Australia.”
Local paleontologists are now hoping the fossil will shed some light on why the giant wombats went extinct about 40,000 years ago. Its believed the uncovered beast weighed approximately one ton.
While it’s not yet known the age of the fossil, it could prove to be 200,000 years old. The remains were found at the beginning of this year by residents who spotted bones sticking up from the ground.
After nine months of painstaking digging, the fossil has not yet been completely removed and additional months of work are anticipated.
In a recent finding, a prehistoric wombat the size of a small car was dug up on the Mornington Peninsula, which is located south-east of Melbourne, Australia.
For those who are unfamiliar with wombats, they are classified as a large, chubby marsupial, or pouched animal. According to scientists, wombats roamed the continent right alongside other giant mammals for millions of years.
Researchers are excited about the new discovery. Museum Victoria’s Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology stated, “It is the most complete and best preserved fossil of this kind of giant megafauna marsupial discovered in Victoria, and it may yet prove to be the most superbly preserved example of this fossil discovered in Australia.”
Local paleontologists are now hoping the fossil will shed some light on why the giant wombats went extinct about 40,000 years ago. Its believed the uncovered beast weighed approximately one ton.
While it’s not yet known the age of the fossil, it could prove to be 200,000 years old. The remains were found at the beginning of this year by residents who spotted bones sticking up from the ground.
After nine months of painstaking digging, the fossil has not yet been completely removed and additional months of work are anticipated.