Megalibgwilia Fossil range: Miocene - Late Pleistocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Monotremata Family: Tachyglossidae Genus: Megalibgwilia Griffiths, Wells and Barrie, 1991
Species
†W. ramsayi (Owen, 1884) †W. robusta (Dun, 1896) The Miocene Epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23. ... Late Pleistocene (also known as Upper Pleistocene or the Tarantian) is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Allotheria* Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Order Docodonta (extinct) Prototheria Order Monotremata Theria Infraclass Trituberculata (extinct) Infraclass Marsupialia Infraclass Eutheria The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of young, from... Families Kollikodontidae (extinct) Ornithorhynchidae - Platypus Tachyglossidae - Echidnas Steropodontidae (extinct) Monotremes are mammals that are best known for laying eggs, instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials and placental mammals (Eutheria). ... For other uses, see Echidna (disambiguation). ... Sir Richard Owen KCB (July 20, 1804–December 18, 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. ...

Megalibgwilia is a genus of echidna only known from fossils from Australia, it incorporates the oldest known echidna species. Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Three small ammonite fossils, each approximately 1. ...

Megalibgwilia was first described from from a broken left humerus by Richard Owen when he identified W. ramsayi in 1884. Complete skulls and postcranial fossils have since been described. A second species, W. robusta, was described in 1896 by Australian paleontologist William Sutherland Dun. Although they are sometimes commonly referred to as giant echidnas, Megalibgwilia species are thought to have been a similar size to the contemporary Western Long-beaked Echidna, but with slightly longer forearms.^[1] They were smaller than a large species known from fossils in Australia, Zaglossus hacketti. W. ramsayi fossils have been found in deposits across mainland Australia and on Tasmania. W. robusta has only been found in the New South Wales.^[1] Megalibgwilia was probably and insect-eater, like the Short-beaked Echidna, rather than a worm-eater like members of Zaglossus.^[2] The humerus is a long bone in the arm or fore-legs (animals) that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. ... Sir Richard Owen KCB (July 20, 1804–December 18, 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. ... Binomial name Zaglossus bruijnii (Peters and Doria, 1876) The Western Long-beaked Echidna is one of the four extant echidnas and one of three species of Zaglossus that occur in New Guinea. ... Species Zaglossus attenboroughi Zaglossus bartoni Zaglossus bruijnii Zaglossus hacketti (extinct) Zaglossus robustus (extinct) Zaglossus is the genus of the echidna, a spiny monotreme that lives in New Guinea. ... Capital Hobart Government Const. ... Binomial name Tachyglossus aculeatus (Shaw, 1792) The Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), also known as the Spiny Anteater because of its diet of ants and termites, is one of four living species of echidna and the only member of the genus Tachyglossus. ... Species Zaglossus attenboroughi Zaglossus bartoni Zaglossus bruijnii Zaglossus hacketti (extinct) Zaglossus robustus (extinct) Zaglossus is the genus of the echidna, a spiny monotreme that lives in New Guinea. ...

W. robusta is the oldest known echidna, it is the only species that is known to have occurred during the Miocene.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Long, J., Archer, M., Flannery, T. and Hand, S. 2002. Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution. John Hopkins University Press. pp 45-47. ISBN 0801872235.
2. ^ ^{a b} Griffiths, M., Wells, R.T., and Barrie, D.J. 1991. Observations on the skulls of fossil and extant echidnas (Monotremata:Tachyglossidae),. Australian Mammalology 14:87-101

External links

• Reconstructions and skull images from Parks and Wildlife, South Australia