Palaeontologists digging in northern Australia have found fossil evidence of several new species – including a “killer kangaroo“.
The flesh-eating marsupial would have lived between 10 and 20 million years ago, scientists say.
The research team has also unearthed evidence of a large carnivorous bird dubbed the “demon duck of doom”.
Professor Mike Archer said the dig had turned up “truly extraordinary material”. He said the killer kangaroos would not have been like the creatures of today.
There were meat-eating kangaroos with long fangs, and galloping kangaroos with long forearms, which could not hop,” he told The Australian newspaper.
Check out the chops on the “demon duck of doom“.
You have to wonder how the critters at the top of the food chain manage to be the species achieving extinction.
“Killer Kangaroo” – talk about a sensationalized headline. Still an interesting find.
I’m still waiting for fossil evidence of kangaroos in the region around Mount Ararat. I’m sure it’s there if they only dig deep enough. Am I hoping for too much?
“Demon Duck of Doom” sounds like something Daffy Duck might dream up as an alter ego 😉
You have to wonder how the critters at the top of the food chain manage to be the species achieving extinction.
Because when you’re at the top, you have no place left to go but down?
The “food chain” is a circle, anyway, so there isn’t really a top.
In the immortal words of Josie Wales, “Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms.”
Endeavor to persevere.
it would seem being at the top of the food chain does not equate to being “fittist”, or “survival of the fittist” might not be what its cracked up to be…
also, I wonder if they found the rest of the duck, or just a head
I wonder how they came to the conclusion that it was a kangaroo? It was a meat eater, so couldn’t it be an example of an evolution of species- the transition between one kind of animal to another- rather than an evolution of sub species?
It’s a marsupial. “Killer Kangaroo” sounds better than “Obnoxious Opossum” or “Bastard Bandicoot”.
That’s some good eating right there, I gar-unn-tee.
Bet they both tasted like chicken.
(Chuckle) actually, Kangaroo tastes like Kangaroo.
Is this like Jimmy Carter’s killer rabbit?
I want gaurd Kangeroos.
All indigenous mammals of Australia are marsupials because when the contintent seperated from Asia millions of years ago, the only mammal was a marsupial mouse. All Australians mammals evolved from that marsupial mouse. Tasmanian wolves and Europeans wolves are proof that animals are products of their environments. Same thing could be said of the peoples, but then I’ll get called a racist. I need a spellchecker when I’m this drunk.
When Europeans landed in Australia they saw a Kangaroo, and asked an aborigine what it was. The aborigine said, “Kanga-roo”. In the Aboriginal language, “Kanga-roo” means, “I don’t know”.
Now that is one interesting kangaroo! Puts a little spin on the whole boxing kangaroo thing and makes him look well, wimpy. Seems it would’ve made an interesting pet for those needing extra security though. Be a good addition to the Flinstones if you ask me!
Lou
Looks a lot like a “Rodent of Unusual Size”