Image: Diprotodon optatum
The massive Diprotodon optatum, from the Pleistocene of Australia, was the largest marsupial known and the last of the extinct, herbivorous diprotodontids.
- Illustrator:
- Anne Musser
- Rights:
- © Australian Museum
Last Updated:
Tags diprotodon, extinct, mammals, marsupials, Pleistocene, Pliocene, Darling Downs, Cuddie Springs, Wellington Caves, Tambar Springs, Bacchus Marsh, Lake Callabonna, Naracoorte, Burra, Lost Kingdoms, herbivore, herbivorous,
3 comments
It would be most unlikely for anyone to have seen this particular animal as it has been extinct for at least 25, 000 years! Today, our largest endemic mammalian herbivores in Australia would be the macropods (kangaroos and wallabies), whose distant ancestors were also once much larger in many cases. Our website has much more information on Australia's extinct animals if you want to explore the world of megafauna, as well as the evolution of today's biota.