The size of the largest marsupial and why it matters

2004/02/07 by Stephen Wroe, Mathew S. Crowther, Joe Dortch +1 · 7 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

paper · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2003.0095

openalex publication_date 2004/02/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We show that at 2786 kg, the largest known marsupial, Diprotodon optatum, was much larger than has previously been suggested. Our results contradict the conclusion that the maximum attainable body mass of an Australian marsupial has been constrained by low productivity.

Citations

• Dinosaurs, dragons, and dwarfs: The evolution of maximal body size

Cited by

• Re‐analysis of the “engraved” Diprotodon tooth from Spring Creek, Victoria, Australia
• New ages of the world's largest-ever marsupial: Diprotodon optatum from Pleistocene Australia
• Seasonal migration of marsupial megafauna in Pleistocene Sahul (Australia–New Guinea)
• Gigantism of the Australian Diprotodon Owen 1838 (Marsupialia, Diprotodontoidea) through the Pleistocene
• A quantitative comparative analysis of the size of the frontoparietal sinuses and brain in vombatiform marsupials
• Craniodental Morphology and Phylogeny of Marsupials
• Diprotodon [wikipedia]