Thylacoleonidae

E610489

Thylacoleonidae is an extinct family of Australian marsupial predators, commonly known as "marsupial lions," characterized by powerful jaws and specialized shearing teeth.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf extinct family of mammals
marsupial family
taxon
characteristic enlarged blade-like premolars
powerful jaws
retractable or semi-retractable claws
robust forelimbs
specialized shearing teeth
clade Vombatiformes NERFINISHED
class Mammalia
commonName marsupial lions
diet predatory
distinguishedFrom Placental lions
ecologicalRole large vertebrate predators
extinctionStatus extinct
fossilEvidence found in Australian fossil deposits
fossilRange Oligocene to Pleistocene
geographicDistribution Australia NERFINISHED
habitat Australian forests
Australian open habitats
Australian woodlands
higherClassification Diprotodontia NERFINISHED
infraclass Marsupialia
jawAdaptation strong bite force
kingdom Animalia
lifestyle carnivorous
locomotion quadrupedal
namedAfter Greek thylakos (pouch) and leon (lion)
nativeTo Australia
notableGenus Thylacoleo NERFINISHED
notableSpecies Thylacoleo carnifex NERFINISHED
order Diprotodontia NERFINISHED
phylum Chordata
possibleBehavior ambush predation
preyedUpon large marsupials
megafaunal herbivores
relatedTo koalas
wombats
reproductiveMode marsupial reproduction with pouch
timeRange Miocene
Oligocene NERFINISHED
Pleistocene NERFINISHED
Pliocene NERFINISHED
toothMorphology carnassial-like premolars
reduced number of cheek teeth
trophicLevel apex predator

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Vombatiformes containsExtinctFamilies Thylacoleonidae