Abstract
Analyses of craniodental and calcaneal material of extant macropodoids show that both dietary and locomotor types are statistically distinguishable. Application of the craniodental data to fossil macropodoids from the Oligo-Miocene of South Australia (Lake Eyre Basin) and Queensland (Riversleigh World Heritage Area) shows that these taxa were omnivores or browsers. Specialized folivorous browsers were more prevalent in the Queensland deposits than in those of South Australia, suggesting more mesic conditions in the former. The calcaneal data showed that the Oligo-Miocene taxa clustered with extant generalized hoppers, in contrast to prior speculation that balbarids were quadrupedal rather than bipedal.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 209-232 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Memoirs of Museum Victoria |
Volume | 74 |
Publication status | Published - 19 Jul 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Special Issue: Papers on Palaeontology Honouring Thomas H. RichKeywords
- Macropodoidea
- Palaeoecology
- Riversleigh
- Lake Eyre Basin
- craniodental measurements
- dietary behaviour
- calcaneal measurements
- locomotion