Hulitherium

• Pureni, Southern Highland, Telefomin, West Sepik, New Guinea

Hulitherium is a marsupial genus of the late Pleistocene.

Features

Hulitherium, the "beast of the Huli people," was one of the largest animals of New Guinea with a live weight of 75 to 200 kg. A nearly complete skull, typical zygomaturin is, and others of Hulitherium known. His limbs were more flexible than other Diprotodontiden. His life was herbivorous. In the mountainous rainforests of New Guinea Hulitherium malnourished probably of bamboo. Thus his life was convergent to that of the recent giant pandas. Since the habitat of Hulitheriums has not changed, people were probably to blame for his extinction.

Species

It is known only to a single species. Hulitherium tomasettii FLANNERY, PLANE, in 1986 lived in the late Pleistocene and is one of the Pureni - Local Fauna of New Guinea to. The next of kin of Hulitherium was probably the Guinean Zygomaturine Maokopia.