A new genus of kangaroo (Marsupialia, Macropodidae) from the late Pleistocene of Papua New Guinea

Kerr, Isaac A. R.; Prideaux, Gavin J.

doi:10.1080/03721426.2022.2086518

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Recent research has shown that “ P”. nombe belongs in its own genus, Nombe , which is not closely related to Protemnodon (Kerr & Prideaux, 2022). Therefore, we ascribe NCA A1:6 18 to P. tumbuna , the only unequivocal species of Protemnodon recorded from the site and, indeed, the Late Pleistocene of Papua New Guinea.…”

Section: New Multidisciplinary Investigationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re‐evaluating the evidence for late‐surviving megafauna at Nombe rockshelter in the New Guinea highlands

Prideaux

Kerr

Zoelen

et al. 2022

Archaeology in Oceania

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The causes of the Late Pleistocene extinction of most larger-bodied animals on the Australian continent have long been controversial. This is due, in no small part, to inadequate knowledge of exactly when these species were lost from different ecosystems. The Nombe rockshelter in the highlands of Papua New Guinea is one of very few sites on Sahul with as-yet-unrefuted evidence for the survival of megafaunal species until more recently than 40 thousand years (ka) ago. However, our understanding of the age of this site has been based on radiocarbon dating. Here we present new U-Th ages on large marsupial specimens from the deposit and identify a range of postcranial elements to species that include the diprotodontid Hulitherium tomasettii, kangaroo Protemnodon tumbuna and thylacine Thylacinus cynocephalus. Direct U-Th ages of 27-22 ka ago on faunal remains of Protemnodon tumbuna and another large unidentified macropodid are consistent with the existing radiocarbon chronology, yet are minimum ages due to the potential for post-depositional uptake of 238 U and stratigraphic reworking. Pollen analyses indicate perhumid, montane forests dominated by Nothofagus persisted, with minimal human disturbance from at least c.26-20 ka ago up to the terminal Pleistocene. Collagen fingerprinting (ZooMS) demonstrates the potential of protein-based identification of megafaunal remains at Nombe in the future. This study leaves open the possibility of extended coexistence between some megafaunal species in the montane rainforests of New Guinea and intermittently visiting groups of people, and underscores the need for further investigation of the Nombe deposit. Although preliminary, these findings reinforce the view that debates regarding megafaunal extinctions on Sahul require a greater appreciation of species-specific temporalities and the degrees of human impact on diverse habitats across the continent.

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Section: New Multidisciplinary Investigationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re‐evaluating the evidence for late‐surviving megafauna at Nombe rockshelter in the New Guinea highlands

Prideaux

Kerr

Zoelen

et al. 2022

Archaeology in Oceania

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“…brehus described by Helgen et al (2006) are included in the new species Pr. mamkurra (Kerr et al 2024) and Pr. viator (Kerr et al 2024), respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…anak at ~131 kg; Pr. brehus at ~110 kg; Helgen et al 2006) (see Kerr et al 2024 for some additional species). Note that the species Pr.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…roechus and Pr. brehus have recently been determined to be nomina dubia (Kerr et al 2024). The individuals of Pr.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The locomotor mode of Protemnodon has remained somewhat a mystery, though in recent years more evidence has begun to come to light (see also Kerr et al 2024). The largest species of Protemnodon approached the body mass limit to hopping (160 kg).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hop, walk or bound? Limb proportions in kangaroos and the probable locomotion of the extinct genus Protemnodon

Jones,

Janis

2024

J Mammal Evol

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Kangaroos (Macropodoidea) display a diversity of locomotor modes, from bounding quadrupedally to hopping bipedally; but hopping has a body mass limit, which was exceeded by a number of extinct taxa. In the Pleistocene, a variety of “giant” kangaroos existed, both within the extinct subfamily Sthenurinae and the extant subfamily Macropodinae (both within the family Macropodidae). Sthenurines have been previously considered to have a type of locomotion (bipedal striding) different from extant kangaroos, but the primary locomotor mode of the large species of the extinct “giant” macropodine genus Protemnodon, closely related to extant large kangaroos, has undergone little question and has been assumed to be hopping. Here, the association between limb proportions and locomotor mode across Macropodoidea is assessed by examination of functional limb indices. We show that large (> 100 kg) Protemnodon species are unlike any other known macropodoids; their position in this functional morphospace, along with previously published evidence on humeral morphology, supports a prior hypothesis of a primarily quadrupedal mode of locomotion, likely some sort of bounding.

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American and Australasian Marsupials: An Introduction

Cáceres

Dickman

2023

American and Australasian Marsupials

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A new genus of kangaroo (Marsupialia, Macropodidae) from the late Pleistocene of Papua New Guinea

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

Re‐evaluating the evidence for late‐surviving megafauna at Nombe rockshelter in the New Guinea highlands

Re‐evaluating the evidence for late‐surviving megafauna at Nombe rockshelter in the New Guinea highlands

Hop, walk or bound? Limb proportions in kangaroos and the probable locomotion of the extinct genus Protemnodon

American and Australasian Marsupials: An Introduction

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