Diprotodon optatum
 Lived: l ived 1,600,000 - 40,000 years ago (Pleistocene)
Size: Length (head and body): 3m; 2m tall (at the shoulder)
Description: The hippopotomus-sized Diprotodon was the largest marsupial
that ever lived. It browsed on tree leaves, shrubs and perhaps some
grasses as it wandered through the open forest, woodlands and grasslands.
It never strayed too far from water.
Diprotodon's closest living relatives are the wombats and Koala.
Fossils: Fossils of Diprotodon have been found in many places across
Australia. They include complete skulls and skeletons, and even
hair and foot impressions. More than once, a female Diprotodon
skeleton has been found with a baby lying where it died while still
in its mother's pouch.
Did you know? Diprotodon was still living when the first people lived
in Australia. Diprotodon bones have been found with butchering marks.
These marks may have been made by Aboriginal people using tools.
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