Thylacoleonidae

Thylacoleonidae Temporal range: Late Oligocene–Pleistocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Thylacoleo
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	†Thylacoleonidae Gill, 1872
Genera
†Microleo †Priscileo †Wakaleo †Thylacoleo

Thylacoleonidae is a family of extinct meat-eating marsupials from Australia, referred to as marsupial lions.^[1] The best known is Thylacoleo carnifex, also called the marsupial lion.^[2] The clade ranged from the Late Oligocene to the Pleistocene, with some species the size of a possum and others as large as a leopard. The discovery of a new small sized species indicates a higher ecological diversity than previously thought. As a whole, they were largely arboreal, in contrast to the mostly terrestrial dasyuromorphs (quolls only recently took the niches vacated by small thylacoleonids), monitor lizards and mekosuchines.^[3]

Classification

Four genera are currently accepted as belonging to this family:^[4]

• Genus †Microleo
  • †Microleo attenboroughi (Early Miocene)^[5]
• Genus †Priscileo
  • †Priscileo roskellyae (Middle Miocene)
  • †Priscileo pitikantensis (Late Oligocene—Middle Miocene)
• Subfamily Wakaleoninae
  • Genus †Wakaleo
    • †Wakaleo pitikantensis (Upper Oligocene)
    • †Wakaleo schouteni (Upper Oligocene—Lower Miocene)
    • †Wakaleo oldfieldi (Lower Miocene—Upper Miocene)
    • †Wakaleo vanderleuri (Middle Miocene—Upper Miocene)
    • †Wakaleo alcootaensis (Upper Miocene)
• Subfamily Thylacoleoninae
  • Genus †Thylacoleo
    • †Thylacoleo carnifex (Pleistocene)
    • †Thylacoleo crassidentatus (Pliocene)
    • †Thylacoleo hilli (Pliocene)

See also

• Thylacinidae

References