Palorchestidae
Palorchestes
The Palorchestidae are a family of New Guinea - Australian megafauna within the Vombatiformes. Animals belonging to this family, existed from the late Oligocene to late Pleistocene and were among the most striking bag mammals of earth history.
Features
The Palorchestidae that Beuteltapire, are among the most conspicuous animals of the Australian megafauna. They had long front legs, short hind legs, a long snout, which probably had a snout similar to the recent tapir, a wombatähnlichen lower jaw, probably a long tongue and hochkronige molars. Adult animals have the dental formula I1- 3/1, C1oder0 / 0, P3 / 3, M1-4/1-4 on.
System
In the family Palorchestidae there are only the two genera Palorchestes Owen, 1873a and Propalorchestes Murray, 1986. The genus Palorchestes with five types Palorchestes azael Owen, 1873a, Palorchestes painei Woodburne, 1967a, Palorchestes parvus De Vis, 1895, Palorchestes selestiae Mackness, 1995 and Palorchestes annulus Black, 1997b existed from the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. The genus Propalorchestes with their two types Propalorchestes novaculacephalus Murray, 1986 and Propalorchestes Ponticulus Murray, 1990b, however, existed from the late Oligocene to middle Miocene. The Palorchestidae family together with the family Diprotodontidae forms the superfamily Diprotodontoidea.