Australia's Extinct Megafauna - ABC Education

This animated series on megafauna brings extinct animals to lifeABC Education's new six-part animation series helps students learn about the unique megafauna that once roamed Australia. The series teaches students about fascinating ancient animals and the exciting process of scientific discovery!perspectiveHow can Aboriginal knowledge expand our understanding of the past?“It’s important when we talk about megafauna that Aboriginal knowledge is always in the discussion, because this knowledge is just as important as Western science,” Jacinta Koolmatrie writes.Diprotodon: Not a wombatHow big was Australia's most famous extinct megafaunal mammal Diprotodon optatum? Be amazed by the answer and other cool Diprotodon facts discovered by palaeontologists.Duration: 6 minutes 33 seconds6m Thylacoleo: The wild cardDid Australia's fierce marsupial predator Thylacoleo carnifex have the most powerful bite of any living or extinct mammal? How do palaeontologists use fossils to answer this question? Duration: 5 minutes 29 seconds5m Procoptodon: King of roosWhy is Australia's extinct kangaroo, Procoptodon goliah, called the T-rex of roos? What fossil evidence caused palaeontologists to give it that nickname?Duration: 5 minutes 52 seconds5m Genyornis: Gigantic fun!What is the difference between Australia's extinct flightless bird Genyornis newtoni and an emu? What else do we know about these giant megafaunal birds?Duration: 6 minutes 7 seconds6m Megalania: An awesome dragonWas Australia's extinct super-predator Megalania (Varanus priscus) the world's largest ever land lizard? How do we know Megalania was a predator?Duration: 6 minutes 6 seconds6m Palorchestes: Highly individualCould Palorchestes azael be the most unusual marsupial to have existed in Australia's Pleistocene era? Why are its fossils such a puzzle?Duration: 6 minutes 33 seconds6m Digging up DiprotodonPalaeontologists Dr Aaron Camens and Dr Gilbert Price are scientists who help discover, dig up and analyse fossils. They are both experts on fossils from extinct megafauna like Diprotodon optatum, Australia's largest ever marsupial.Duration: 5 minutes 58 seconds5m Finding Thylacoleo fossils in cavesDr Liz Reed loves finding fossils, and she loves caving. She has spent her career as a scientist combining her two passions to learn about Australia's extinct megafauna, including the marsupial predator Thylacoleo carnifex.Duration: 4 minutes 20 seconds4m 20sUnderstanding Procoptodon’s anatomyAssociate Professor Natalie Warburton is a zoologist. She uses her scientific training in animal anatomy to help palaeontologists understand extinct megafauna, like the giant kangaroo Procoptodon goliah.Duration: 4 minutes 27 seconds4m 27sGetting into GenyornisDr Phoebe McInerney and Associate Professor Trevor Worthy are palaeontologists who study the fossils of extinct birds. As Trevor's PhD student, Phoebe became an expert on Genyornis newtoni and made some new discoveries about this megafaunal bird.Duration: 4 minutes 24 seconds4m 24sReconstructing MegalaniaDr Scott Hocknull is the curator of the palaeontology collection at Queensland Museum. He uses his scientific knowledge of fossils and living animals to make reconstructions of extinct megafauna, like the giant lizard Megalania (Varanus priscus).Duration: 5 minutes 52 seconds5m Investigating PalorchestesTim Ziegler and Dr Hazel Richards are scientists from Melbourne Museum looking after its palaeontology collections. They used fossils and 3D scanning to construct a picture of one of Australia's most mysterious extinct megafauna: Palorchestes azael.Duration: 8 minutes 4 seconds8m The art of extinct animals with Peter TruslerPeter Trusler is one of the world's greatest palaeoartists. A trained zoologist, he uses his knowledge of animal anatomy to reconstruct pictures of extinct megafauna based on their fossils.Duration: 9 minutes 14 seconds9m Megafauna: What Killed Australia's Giants?Step into the ancient landscape of Australia's past as we journey through time and explore the impressive extinct megafauna.Load moreBack to topFooter