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]
| Warendja Temporal range: Late Miocene—Late Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
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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