#ekaltadeta

[themesozoicsperm]

Hey guys! so do you know about Ekaltadeta? called “the killer kangaroo” even though is more related to rat-kangaroos than kangaroos themselves.

(images belong to their respective owners)

[palaeopedia]

The Ekaltadeta (1985)

Phylum : Chordata Class : Mammalia Infraclass : Marsupialia Order : Diprotodontia Family : Hypsiprymnodontia Genus : Ekaltadeta Species : E. ima, E. jamiemulvaneyi

Eocene/Oligocene (25 - 50 Ma)

About 80 cm long and 6 kg? (size)

Australia (map)

Not the most easily pronounced prehistoric mammal, by all rights Ekaltadeta should be better-known than it is: who can resist a tiny, meat-eating (or at least omnivorous) rat-kangaroo ancestor, some species of which were equipped with prominent fangs? Unfortunately, all we know about Ekaltadeta consists of two skulls, widely separated in geologic time (one from the Eocene epoch, another from the Oligocene) and sporting different features (one skull is equipped with the above-mentioned fangs, while the other has cheek teeth shaped like little buzzsaws). Ekaltedeta, by the way, seems to have been a different creature from the Fangaroo, another 25-million-year-old fanged marsupial that briefly made headlines (and then disappeared) over a decade ago.

[alphynix]

With Ekaltadeta, you could've said it was a Hypsiprymnodontid, as the musky rat-kangaroo is its closest living relative. Also, I don't blame you for the lack of a good date - not even sure how old the deposits in Riversleigh are except they are Oligo-Miocene - also apparently there was even a Pleistocene species!

Ah, thank you, I’ll update that. I’m not that familiar with marsupial taxonomy. I was finding conflicting information about that particular animal!

[alphynix]

Daily Paleo Art Month #3: Ekaltadeta

A marsupial related to the potorids (edit: actually that should be the musky rat-kangaroo; thank you noddytheornithopod!), Ekaltadeta lived in northern Australia between 25 and 15 million years ago. Only known from skull material, it was probably roughly the size of a typical modern wallaby -- about 80cm long (31in) and weighing around 10-15kg (22-33lbs).

Ekaltadeta's lower incisors were very long, protruding and almost dagger-like. Along with some some odd buzzsaw-shaped molars, this has led to speculation that it may have been an omnivore or even a predator.