Ekaltadeta

Ekaltadeta
Temporal range: Oligocene–Pleistocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Hypsiprymnodontidae
Subfamily: Propleopinae
Genus: Ekaltadeta
Archer & Flannery, 1985
Species
  • E. ima
  • E. jamiemulvaneyi

Ekaltadeta is an extinct genus of giant marsupials related to modern rat-kangaroos.

They are hypothesized to have been either predatory, or omnivorous with a fondness for meat, based on their chewing teeth. This conclusion is based mainly on the size and shape of a large buzz-saw-shaped cheek-tooth, the adult third premolar, which is common to all Ekaltadeta. A few species actually did also have long predatory "fangs".

Fossils of the animals include two near complete skulls, and numerous upper and lower jaws.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.