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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Fossils reveal a gigantic marsupial’s bizarre anatomy

A now-extinct Australian animal was even bigger than previously thought and had joints that are unique among mammals.
Artist's impression of a Palorchestes azael

The Australian marsupial Palorchestes azael (artist’s impression), which died off thousands of years ago, could have weighed more than 1,000 kilogrammes. Credit: Roman Uchytel

A weird species of ancient Australian marsupial had enormous claws, and elbows that were almost completely rigid — a characteristic found in no other mammal, living or extinct.

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Nature 573, 466 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02794-z

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