| Protemnodon Temporal range: Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
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| A restoration of Protemnodon anak | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Macropodidae |
| Subfamily: | Macropodinae |
| Genus: | †Protemnodon Owen, 1873 |
| Referred species | |
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Protemnodon is an extinct genus of macropods that existed in Australia, Tasmania, and Papua New Guinea in the Pleistocene. Based on fossil evidence, Protemnodon is thought to have been physically similar to wallabies, but far larger; Protemnodon hopei was the smallest in the genus weighing about 45 kg, the other species all weighed over 110 kg. Recent analysis of mtDNA extracted from fossils indicates that Protemnodon was closely related to Macropus.
Taxonomy[]
Recent studies show that it was related to Macropus. The species formerly known as Protemnodon bandharrand Protemnodon buloloensis have been moved to a new genus, Silvaroo, while the New Guinean species P. nombe has been moved to the new genus Nombe.
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