Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Giant Prehistoric Kangaroos Wiped Out By Hungry Ice Age Hunters

Artist's illustration of the extinct Procoptodon goliah which roamed around Australia 45,000 years ago. (Artist Peter Trusler/Australian Postal Corporation)

From Times Online:

It stood tall at 6’5, weighed over 500lbs, had the face of a koala and the body of a sturdy kangaroo. And apparently it was delicious.

Scientists think they have discovered the reason behind the demise of the prehistoric Australian marsupial Procoptodon goliah – better known as the giant, short-snouted kangaroo. They say it was not climate change, as has always been assumed, but hungry Ice Age hunters.

The animal – about three times bigger than a modern-day kangaroo and with slightly different features - was one of many Ice-Age megafauna whose demise has long been debated among experts, but usually put down to the changing environment.

However an international team of scientists, led by Gavin Prideaux from Flinders University in South Australia, has discovered a different theory behind the reason the animal became extinct 45,000 years ago.

Read more ....

My Comment: I am hungry.

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