The new species, named Obdurodon tharalkooschild, was more than three feet long, or twice the size of a modern platypus, and had a full set of teeth to chew crayfish, frogs and small turtles. It grew from it's already enormous size to even bigger, and soon started to rule the seas and coast. The species was published in 1992 by Michael Archer, F. A. Jenkins, S. J. Obdurodon dicksoni is an extinct species of ornithorhynchid monotreme discovered in Australia. Obdurodon tharalkooschild inhabited pools and rivers in the rainforests that covered Queensland’s Riversleigh region 5–15 million years ago. They appeared much like their modern day relative the platypus, except adults retained their molar teeth. – bbc.com Looking more like it should belong to a duck, the platypus’s beak is rubbery and contains horny plates with which it can grind up the small invertebrates it finds underwater. Unlike the platypus which forages on the lakebed, Obdurodon may have foraged in the water column or surface. [2], The genus was first described in 1975 by American palaeontologists Michael O. Woodburne and Richard H. Tedford based on two isolated teeth from the Lake Ngapakaldi to Lake Palankarinna Fossil Area in South Australia. 2013). Besides its size, Obdurodon tharalkooschild was distinguished by its highly developed teeth, which it used to crush crawfish, crustaceans, small vertebrates including birds and lizards, and possibly even the occasional turtle! [12] The ornithorhynchid species were unknown in the later fossil record at the time of discovery, and it defied the assumptions of a single lineage of a platypus-like animal that progressively lost its teeth and became smaller in size. Obdurodon comes from the Greek for “lasting (obdurate) tooth” and was coined to distinguish extinct toothed platypuses from the essentially toothless modern species. The features of Obdurodon tharalkooschild described here indicate that this ornithorhynchid is the largest known member of this family and derived in comparison with other species of Obdurodon. They were separated from the shearing crests by an area without dentition. nov. (Monotremata, Ornithorhynchidae), from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Australia. The wear patterns on the tooth are suggestive of crushing, perhaps by consuming hard-shelled animals such as turtles, rather than using a shearing action. Its scientific name is Obdurodon tharalkooschild. -Aboriginal dreamtime legend, and palaeontology of the platypus", Fossil record of the Monotremata, with a photo of an, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Obdurodon&oldid=988813269#Obdurodon_tharalkooschild, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, Taxonbars using multiple manual Wikidata items, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Woodburne and Tedford. The type material, a single tooth, was discovered in 2012 by a team from the University of New South Wales including Mike Archer, Suzanne Hand, and Rebecca Pian. Obdurodon tharalkooschild is believed to have been carnivorous and estimated to be twice the size of the modern platypus at one metre long. 801 284. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1601329. 2 (10): e1601329. Obdurodon tharalkooschild Temporal range: Middle and upper Miocene (5–15 mya) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Based on its size, the researchers have estimated that the new species (Obdurodon tharalkooschild) would have been at least twice as large as today’s platypus. Evidence for Obdurodon tharalkooschild was based on a single molar tooth discovered at the Two Tree Site of the Riversleigh fossil beds in northwest Queensland. Australia seems ripe for discoveries of prehistoric fossils these days. Miocene Obdurodon dicksoni Archer, Jenkins, Hand, Murray, and Godthelp, 1992, from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland. In fact, it was the fossilized tooth that put this whole story together. Alphadon. Modern adult platypuses don’t have teeth to compare the fossil to. Hand, P. Murray, and H. Godthelp. Professor Hand says the freshwater limestone, which sometimes accumulated in caves, has preserved far more than the bones of extinct mammals. tharalkooschild and other species of Obdurodon. Spotted-necked Otter v Obdurodon tharalkooschild. [12] The diet is likely to have been crustacea, the water borne larvae of insects, or perhaps small vertebrates like fish and frogs. 2013; Obdurodon is a genus of extinct monotreme. The name was chosen in honour of an indigenous Australian creation story It is known from a single tooth found at the Miocene-aged Two Tree Site fossil beds in Riversleigh in Queensland, Australia.[10][11]. [12], The name given to the species was discussed in a 1990 paper by Mike Archer, an Australian mammalogist, detailing a creation story with an Ugly Duckling motif in the context of palaeontology. Description of the skull and non-vestigial dentition of a Miocene platypus (, Lake Ngapakaldi to Lake Palankarinna Fossil Area, "Fossil of giant platypus unearthed in Riversleigh", "New information about the skull and dentary of the Miocene platypus Obdurodon dicksoni, and a discussion of ornithorhynchid relationships", "Giant Platypus Found, Shakes Up Evolutionary Tree", "Extinct 'Godzilla' platypus found in Australia - Yahoo News UK", "Giant extinct toothed platypus discovered", "Tharalkoo's child: an ugly duckling story. Based on the size of its tooth, it is estimated that Obdurodon tharalkooschild would have been twice the size of the modern platypus, around 3.3 feet (1 m) long. [6], The tooth was placed into the newly erected genus Obduron when described in 1975 by American palaeontologists Michael O. Woodburne and Richard H. Tedford. [5], Obdurodon tharalkooschild is an extinct species of monotreme in the genus Obdurodon. Obdurodon tharalkooschild is an extinct species of monotreme in the genus Obdurodon. They also believe that it was twice the size of the modern platypus at one metre long. “Like other platypuses, it was probably a mostly aquatic mammal, and would have lived in and around the freshwater pools in the forests that covered the Riversleigh area millions of years ago,” explained Prof Suzanne Hand from the University of New South Wales, a co-author of the article published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology. Unlike the modern species, the animal retained its molars into adulthood and had a spoon-shaped bill that suggest they fed near the surface or edge of the water. [1], O. insignis is thought to have had a similar build to the modern platypus. Sci-News.com. The shape of its beak suggests that O. dicksoni sought prey by digging in the sides of rivers, whereas the modern platypus digs in the bottom of the river. Obdurodon tharalkooschild: Largest Fossil Platypus Found in Miocene Neogene Australia Unlike the platypus which forages on the lakebed, Obdurodon may have foraged in the water column or surface. Beds in Riversleigh in Queensland Feeding behavior, electroreception, and Godthelp, 1992 from. Masahiro Koizumi ; Thomas E. Macrini ; Suzanne J professor Hand says the freshwater limestone, which accumulated. On each side of the platypus an annectant condition between that in species monotremes... Riversleigh species, Obdurodon tharalkooschild, sp after the location of its discovery at Riversleigh this is artist... 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