Warendja
Extinct genus of marsupials / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quick Facts Warendja Temporal range: Late Miocene—Late Pleistocene, Scientific classification ...
Warendja Temporal range: Late Miocene—Late Pleistocene | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Diprotodontia |
Family: | Vombatidae |
Genus: | †Warendja Hope and Wilkinson, 1982 |
Species | |
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Warendja is an extinct genus of wombat. It is known from two species, W. encorensis from the Late Miocene Riversleigh site in Queensland,[1] and W. wakefieldi known from the Pleistocene of South Australia, New South Wales,[2] and Victoria.[3] The two species are primarily distinguished by features of their enamel.[1] It became extinct as part of the Quaternary extinction event.[3][2][4][5][6] Warendja wakefieldi is estimated to have weighed about 10 kg, considerably smaller than living wombats.[7] Warendja thought to be relatively basal amongst wombats,[8] being the most primitive member to possess hypselodont (high crowned) cheek teeth. The morphology of the humerus of W. wakefieldi suggests that it engaged in scratch-digging.[9]