Research conducted on fanged kangaroos, which came from a long-extinct family of Australian kangaroos, revealed that the species may have survived five million years longer than originally thought. The new study on what is being dubbed as “vampire kangaroos” is expected to shed more light on extinction.

What are fanged kangaroos?

A study led by the University of Queensland focused on species diversity, body size, and the time of extinction of fanged kangaroos. These animals, which included a species called Balbaroo fangaroo, were about the same size as wallabies.

Kaylene Butler, a Ph.D. student at the University of Queensland School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said that the study examined ancient fossil deposits taken from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, where kangaroo fossils dating as far back as 25 million years were discovered.

According to Butler, the fanged kangaroos are potential ancestors of modern kangaroos. At the time of their existence, Northern Queensland, where fanged kangaroos thrived, were covered with thick rainforests. Despite their large canines, the fanged kangaroos ate leaves as their primary diet, much like present-day kangaroos.

There is still more work to be done in order to determine what the true purpose of their fangs was, but it is suggested that it might have been used to attract potential mates. Another key difference between fanged kangaroos and modern kangaroos is that the former scurried instead of hopped.

Study reveals new information on extinction

By understanding why prehistoric kangaroos went extinct, Butler and the rest of her team hope to shed more light on what caused the extinction of other animals. One of the hypotheses being looked at is a massive change in the climate some 15 million years ago.

#iamabiologist who studies ancient fossil kangaroos including Balbaroo fangaroo an extinct fanged kangaroo @RoyalSocBio #BiologyWeek pic.twitter.com/sVaenJkf3c — Kaylene Butler (@kayleontologist) October 13, 2017

However, it is now believed that other conditions and circumstances may have factored in. As previously mentioned, fanged kangaroos were previously thought to have gone extinct 15 million years ago, but it now appears that they persisted past the climate change and survived until 10 million years ago.

“This new finding of their persistence until 10 million years ago means something else must have been at play, such as being outcompeted by other species,” Butler explained, as quoted by The Age. “They just couldn’t handle an environment that wasn’t rainforest.”

The research, which was published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology aimed to fill significant gaps in the evolution of the kangaroo. Newly discovered fossils now link ancient lineages to modern kangaroos. The study is also important to conservation efforts. At present, 21 macropod species have been listed as “vulnerable or endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

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