The massive reptile was about 23 feet (7 meters) long, the size of a Saltwater Crocodile, the largest reptile alive today, making it the largest lizard that ever lived. It also possessed a set of retractile claws, something not seen before in marsupials, and a large thumb claw. Thylacoleo carnifex - extinct marsupial lion (Thylacoleo) pouch lion (carnifex) flesh eater. However, a quick glance at Thylacoleo (also known as the Marsupial Lion) puts the lie to this myth; this nimble, large-fanged, heavily built carnivore was every bit as dangerous as a modern lion or leopard, … Also discovered was the first complete skeleton of the extinct marsupial lion Thylacoleo carnifex. As noted by Gizmodo, the finding was a … The implementation of Thylacoleo as a fearsome giant marsupial that pounces on prey from the treetops may be inspired by the Australian stories of drop bears, a made-up marsupial designed to scare tourists. John Long describes the discovery of the complete fossil bones of the most illusive of Australian prehistoric animals, the marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex. Thylacoleo was first described in the mid-19th century, based on a skull and jaw … The thylacoleo was not a particularly large carnivore, and it is thought that perhaps the appearance of the first humans, and the first dingoes, may have caused too much competition at the top of the food chai … n. The bite force of Thylacoleo has been estimated to be comparable to that of the considerably larger male African lion. Ancient volcanic eruptions didn't play a role in the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs, a new study says, putting the blame solely back on an asteroid that slammed into Earth. Author. In most of the western world, it has been common to blame humans for hunting megafauna on other continents to extinction. In fact, many news publications and some scientists have compared these extinct creatures to the Mythical 'drop bears'. Remains of Thylacoleo have been found in all states of Australia but until 2002 no complete skeletons had ever been found. It is not known precisely why the marsupial lion, known as the thylacoleo, became extinct. It's a commonly held misconception that that the giant wombats, kangaroos and koala bears of Pleistocene Australia were only able to prosper thanks to the lack of any natural predators. Nicknamed the marsupial lion for its size and formidable teeth, T. carnifex roamed Australia for roughly 2 million years, going extinct only about 40,000 years ago. Learn about the mass extinction event 66 million years ago and the evidence for what ended the age of the dinosaurs. If that makes you do a double-take, remember that Megalania technically belongs to the order Squamata, placing it on an entirely different branch of evolution than plus-sized prehistoric reptiles like dinosaurs, archosaurs, and therapsids. "It has been in the most rewarding discoveries of my career," Dr Long said. Huge land turtles, 8-foot tall kangaroos, massive cold-blooded killer goannas… these are but a few of the giant animals that once roamed Australia during the Quaternary: the period of geological time that we often refer to as the ‘Ice Ages’. It also had a venomous bite just like its relative, the Komodo Dragon. Within 20,000 years of humanity’s arrival, most of the rainforest was gone and the megafauna was extinct. It is not known precisely why the marsupial lion, known as the thylacoleo, became extinct. According to research conducted by Vanderbilt University paleontologist Larisa DeSantis and colleagues from the University of New South Wales and the University of Queensland, climate change might have caused Thylacoleo carnifex to lose its habitat and eventually go extinct several thousands of years after the first humans arrived in Australia. Thylacoleo Carnifex, a.k.a the Marsupial Lion. Thylacoleo dentition. But what happened to these megafauna? We can only guess what the Giant Cheetah may have looked like but it is guessed that it may have looked a bit like the king cheetah (shown on the bottom left), the king cheetah variant is caused when the genes that control coat color produce more black then it should giving the cheetah stripes on its back and spots that are fused together. Marie … January 31, 2013 10.50pm EST. Marie Attard PhD student, UNSW Disclosure statement. It is not known precisely why the marsupial lion, known as the thylacoleo, became extinct.