Diprotodon Research Paper

Introduction
Diprotodon, meaning "two forward teeth", sometimes known as the Giant Wombat or the Rhinoceros Wombat, was the largest known marsupial that ever lived and the last of the extinct, herbivorous Diprotodontids. Diprotodon was the first fossil mammal named from Australia and one of the most well-known of the mega fauna. It was widespread across Australia when the first indigenous people arrived, co-existing with them for thousands of years before becoming extinct about 25,000 years ago.
Distribution and Abundance
Diprotodon is known from many sites across Australia, including the Darling Downs in southeastern Queensland: Wellington Caves, Tambar Springs and Cuddie Springs in New South Wales; Bacchus Marsh in Victoria; Lake Callabonna, Naracoorte Caves and Burra in South Australia.
It is believed that Diprotodons could be found in all parts of Australia except in Tasmania.
Until recently it was unknown how many species of Diprotodon had existed. Sir Richard Owen, a well- known palaeolontologist, studied them and gave the genus the name,
It is up to 3.8m long from head to tail and 1.7m at the shoulder. While wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately 1m in length with a tail that is a mere nubbin. Diprotodons had an oversized skull, like those of other Diprotodontids, was lightweight and filled with numerous air spaces while Wombats have the most developed brain of any marsupial
The skull contained four molars in each jaw, three pairs of upper incisors, and one pair of lower incisors. From this dentition, we can deduce that the diprotodons were herbivorous like wombats. The Diprotodons were probably browsers, rather than grazers, as their incisors enabled them to strip vegetation from branches. The molars, with their flat surfaces, ground the food before it was