Palaeontology
Extinct kitten-sized lion species discovered
By
T.K. RandallAugust 28, 2016 ·
13 comments
Scientists in Australia have identified a tiny marsupial lion which went extinct 18 million years ago.
Named Microleo attenboroughi after legendary British naturalist Sir David Attenborough, this miniature cat-like marsupial was so small that it could have fit inside a lady's handbag.
The species was identified from teeth and bone fragments unearthed at the Riversleigh World Heritage Fossil site in north-western Queensland, Australia.
"It likely ran through the treetops, gobbling up birds, frogs, lizards and insects," said Dr Anna Gillespie from the University of New South Wales.
"We weren't expecting to find a marsupial lion of this small size. It might have been a bit too big to fit in your pocket, but it would have fit quite comfortably in a handbag. It would have been very cute."
The largest marsupial lion by comparison, a creature known as Thylacoleo carnifex which went extinct around 100,000 years ago, weighed in at 130kg making it over 200 times larger.
"Until quite recently there were only a few marsupial lion species known," said Stephen Wroe, an associate professor of zoology and palaeontology at the University of New England.
"Over the last decade or two evidence from Riversleigh has seen this jump to 11 subspecies."
Source:
BBC News |
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Australia, Lion
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