The research team reported Wednesday that fossilized remains were found in the Pwerte Marnte Marnte sediment, which hides 25-million-year-old fossils, in the central part of Australia, south of Alice Springs, MTI reported.
Researchers from the Laboratory of Paleontology at Flinders University, who excavated at the site between 2020 and 2022, discovered the bones of two ancient marsupial species: the modern-day wombat. Fortidentata from Mukupirna It is identified as a relative of the opossum today Chunya pledges remains.
The two species lived during the late Oligocene epoch, which began 28 million years ago and ended 5 million years later. During this period, central Australia was more wetter and forested, which favored a diversity of species.
The discovery could also help us understand the animals that live now
As the lab’s researcher, Arthur Crichton, said: The discovery could help place wombats and opossums in a broader evolutionary setting.
During the excavations, the remains of 35 Mukoberna and three Chunya individuals were found.
According to the researchers’ description, the mucoberna could have a weight of 50 kilograms. The false claw also allows us to infer its diet. The molars of Mucuberna are very similar to the molars of some monkeys, such as macaques, said Professor Gavin Prideaux, director of the Laboratory of Paleontology, a co-author of the discovery study.
On the other hand, the teeth of modern wombats are constantly growing because their main food, chewing grass, wears them down.
– explained the professor.
