Giant koala
Extinct species of marsupial / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The giant koala (Phascolarctos stirtoni) is an extinct arboreal marsupial which existed in Australia during the Pleistocene epoch. Phascolarctos stirtoni was about one-third larger than the contemporary koala, P. cinereus,[2] and has an estimated weight of 13 kg (29 lb), which is the same weight as a large contemporary male koala.[3]
Giant koala Temporal range: Late Pleistocene | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Diprotodontia |
Family: | Phascolarctidae |
Genus: | Phascolarctos |
Species: | †P. stirtoni |
Binomial name | |
†Phascolarctos stirtoni Bartholomai, 1968[1] | |
Although considered a part of the Australian megafauna, its body mass excludes it from most formal definitions of megafauna. It is better described as a more robust koala, rather than a "giant"; in contrast, a number of Australian megafauna, such as Diprotodon and Procoptodon, were unambiguously giants, even if not compared to their closest relatives.
The two koala species co-existed during the Pleistocene, occupying the same arboreal niche.[2] The reason for the extinction of the larger of the two about 50,000 years ago is unknown, although there are various hypotheses for their extinction.