Thylacoleonidae
Skeleton of a lion bag
The bags lions ( Thylacoleonidae ) are a family of extinct marsupials, who probably lived until 50,000 years ago in Australia. They were the biggest carnivores among Australian mammals. Some early forms were just as big as house cats, later species of the genus Wakaleo least in size a leopard comparable, while the largest and most recent type, Thylacoleo carnifex, ranged in size between a female and a male lion, they had a body mass about 110-160 kg possibly even more. Although her body was relatively short, Thylacoleniden were significantly heavier than most comparable long predators, since they were built much stronger.
Characteristics and lifestyle
The name bag lions carry the animals because of her skull that resembles the feline predators in the form of a relationship does not exist. They are classified in the order DIPROTODONTIA their next still living relatives are the wombats and koalas herbivorous. Like these, they lived primarily in the trees of the forests from which they hunted.
System
Today, a total of three genera of the bag lions are recognized.
- Genus † Priscileo † Priscileo pitikantensis (Upper Oligocene )
- † Priscileo roskellyae ( Middle Miocene )
- Subfamily Wakaleoninae Genus † Wakaleo † Wakaleo alcootaensis (Upper Miocene )
- † Wakaleo oldfieldi (Lower - Upper Miocene )
- † Wakaleo vanderleueri ( Middle - Upper Miocene )
- Subfamily Thylacoleoninae Genus † Thylacoleo † Thylacoleo carnifex (Pleistocene )
- † Thylacoleo crassidentatus ( Pliocene )
- † Thylacoleo hilli ( Pliocene )
The most famous and probably greatest type of bag lion is Thylacoleo carnifex, whose adaptation had progressed to carnal food the most. It is believed that he fed exclusively on meat and he killed his prey with its dagger -like enlarged incisors. The premolar was greatly enlarged and formed a fang with a sharp cutting edge, the molars were against almost completely reduced. He also had sharp claws thumb, and it is assumed that he was able to kill very large prey.
Were somewhat smaller species of the genus Wakaleo, but these could be large leopard. The smallest known type of bag lion was Priscileo roskellyae that was about domestic cats large.