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Palorchestes azael is an extinct species of marsupial. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... The Miocene epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23 to 5. ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) is part of the geologic timescale. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera Subregnum Eumetazoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Radiata (unranked) Ctenophora Cnidaria Bilateria (unranked) Acoelomorpha Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata Hemichordata Echinodermata Chaetognatha Xenoturbellida Superphylum Ecdysozoa Kinorhyncha Loricifera Priapulida Nematoda Nematomorpha Onychophora Tardigrada Arthropoda Superphylum Platyzoa Platyhelminthes Gastrotricha Rotifera Acanthocephala Gnathostomulida Micrognathozoa Cycliophora Superphylum Lophotrochozoa Sipuncula Nemertea Phoronida Ectoprocta Bryozoa... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary... Orders Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Marsupials are mammals in which the female typically has a pouch (called the marsupium, from which the name Marsupial derives) in which it rears its young through early infancy. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ...

It was a 2'50 m (8 ft 4 in) long creature that resembled a tapir, possessing a short proboscis (based on the appearance of its nasal bones). Palorchestes front legs bore large claws, probably used to pull down leaves. Species Tapirus bairdii Tapirus indicus Tapirus pinchaque Tapirus terrestris Tapirs are large browsing mammals, roughly pig-like in shape, with short, prehensile snouts. ... In general, a proboscis (from Greek pro before and boskein to feed) is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal. ... A claw is a curved pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger or, in arthropods, of the tarsus. ...

Palorchestes azael was a marsupial species that lived during the Pleistocene period (2 million - 10,000 years ago). It went extinct about 40,000 years ago. This creature has been called the "marsupial tapir" because of its long nose. However, Palorchestes was not a tapir. The similarity in nose shape is an example of convergent evolution.

Palorchestes azael was almost as large as a horse. It had claws like those of koalas. The tongue of Palorchestes azael was long and ribbon-like. It walked on four powerful legs. This creature was an herbivore. It is thought to have fed in these ways: pulling up bushes and eating the roots stripping the bark from trees and eating the soft inner part of the trunk.

Fossilized remains of Palorchestes azael have been found at the Naracoorte Caves fossil site in Australia.

It is often described as the most unsightly animal ever made extinct by man.