Phascolonus is an extinct genus of giant wombat known from the Pliocene[1] and Pleistocene of Australia. There is only a single known species, Phascolonus gigas, the largest wombat ever known to have existed, estimated to weigh as much as 200 kg (450 lb)[2] or 360 kg (790 lb).[3] It was described by Richard Owen in 1859. Phascolomys magnus is a probable junior synonym.[3] P. gigas is distinguished from other wombats by its strap-shaped upper incisors. The cranial roof is noticeably inwardly depressed.[3]
| Phascolonus Temporal range: | |
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| P. gigas, with Glossotherium robustum and Smilodon fatalis in the background. At the AMNH. | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Vombatidae |
| Genus: | †Phascolonus Owen, 1872 |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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The species was abundant across Australia, with remains having been found in all states except Western Australia. It is suggested to have had a preference for arid and semi-arid inland habitats, with a diet consisting of a high amount of low quality vegetation. Though it likely had wide home-ranges, it probably did not stray far from fresh water sources.[4] Abundant remains have been found in Pleistocene aged deposits from Lake Callabonna in South Australia.[3] Unlike its living relatives, it is unlikely that Phascolonus engaged in burrowing.[5] Phascolonus disappeared during the Late Pleistocene Quaternary extinction event around 50-40,000 years ago, together with many other large Australian animals, following the arrival of humans to the Australian continent.[4][6] Phylogenetic analysis suggests that is closely related to the other giant wombat genera Ramsayia and Sedophascolomys.[3]
References
- Owen, Richard (1858). "Odontology". The Encyclopedia Britannica, or Dictionary of Arts, Sciences and General Literature. Vol. 16 (Eighth ed.). pp. 447, 450, figure 80.
- Stirling, Edward Charles & Zietz, Amandus Heinrich Christian (1899). "Preliminary notes on Phascolonus gigas, Owen [Phascolomys (Phascolonus) gigas, Owen] and its identity with Sceparnodon ramsayi Owen". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia. 23: 123–135 – via BHL.
- "Phascolonus gigas". The Recently Extinct Plants and Animals Database. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- "It's a wombat, but not like you know it…". South Australian Museum. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.