Phascolarctos stirtoni (lat.) Is a species of extinct tree marsupials from the family of koalas (Phascolarctidae) that lived during the Pliocene and Pleistocene ( 5.333–0.0117 Ma ago) in Australia [1] . The species name was given in honor of the paleontologist R. A. Stirton (1901-1966), who worked in Australia.
| † Phascolarctos stirtoni |
Reconstruction |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Squad: | Two-tailed marsupials |
| View: | † Phascolarctos stirtoni |
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| International scientific name |
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Phascolarctos stirtoni Bartholomai , 1968 |
Geochronology5.333–0.0117 Ma | million years | Era | F-d | Era |
|---|
| | Th | TO
but
th
n
about
s
about
th | | 2,588 | | | 5.33 | Pliocene | N
e
about
g
e
n | | 23.03 | Miocene | | 33.9 | Oligocene | P
but
l
e
about
g
e
n | | 55.8 | Eocene | | 65.5 | Paleocene | | 251 | Mesozoic |
◄ Nowadays◄ Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction |
|---|
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Content
Species Phascolarctos stirtoni was one third larger than the modern koala and weighed about 13 kg [2] . Like the modern koala, he fed on eucalyptus leaves. Two types of koalas coexisted in the Pleistocene era, occupying the same ecological niche . He had no enemies. He died out about 50 thousand years ago. The cause of extinction is unknown; the species may have disappeared as a result of climate change.
The species was part of Australia's megafauna . His remains were discovered in the 1920s in Queensland , and then in Victoria . The distribution of this animal is not known. There is evidence of its habitat in eastern Australia.
