Prehistoric kangaroo was more like a three-meter pandas
Did you Know that the closest living ice age is not a modern kangaroo and Panda? Although these prehistoric animals lived in Australia, like their counterparts from the XXI century, but still are unable to adapt to the new conditions and has completely died out, leaving evolutionary relatives. However, despite this sad fact, scientists have found evidence that the ancient kangaroos were still able to survive, albeit in a slightly different form. How? Let's try to understand together in this article.
Kangaroos as we know them today, are very different from their ancient ancestors. About 70,000 years ago on Earth roamed a three-meter giant animals with snouts rabbits, which scientists call procoptodon Goliath. Because of its enormous size and weight of 240 pounds, “kangaroo” did not jump, but like a man, walked on two legs.
Karen black, Australian postdoctoral fellow of the research Council of paleontology at the University of New South Wales in Australia, noted that the anatomical adaptation, which demonstrates procoptodon Goliath, more suitable for bipedal motion, which is used by modern man.
Despite the obvious notion that giant kangaroos, ice age should theoretically be prehistoric analogues of the classical Australian kangaroo, which we know today, in fact it is assumed that these giant creatures had more in common with modern pandas.
Procoptodon Goliath in the representation of the artist
The Hypothetical similarity of giant prehistoric kangaroos and pandas reflected in the structure of jaw procoptodon, which was developed much stronger than modern kangaroos, and was able to chew the roots, tree branches and their leaves. A similar diet is now in compliance with and Panda main diet is bamboo.
Similar to procoptodon Goliath kind became another kind of kangaroo who lived in Australia during the ice age — simosthenurus occidentalis. It is estimated that this species lived in Australia about 42 000 years ago, and, like the above-described species of giant kangaroo, fed mainly on coarse vegetable food. However, simosthenurus occidentalis was once forced to leave the Australian continent due to climate change, having settled in Asia, and by the end of the Ice age and evolved into pandas, which later became the real darlings of the social networks of the XXI century.
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