Rhizophascolonus crowcrofti
Rhizophascolonus crowcroft
Rhizophascolonus crowcrofti is the oldest known species of fossil wombat that has been described.
Species detail
Modern wombats have a specialised diet comprised mainly of grass.
They spend most of the day underground in tunnels that they dig out.
The fossils of Rhizophascolonus crowcrofti may hold vital clues about how wombats evolved to fit such a specialised niche as it is the only known taxon of wombat to have teeth that do not grow continuously (as an adaptation to high rates of tooth wear).
Extinct relatives include cow-like diprotodontids and marsupial lions.
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Taxonomy
Rhizophascolonus crowcrofti is the only known species of its genus. Discover more about the original description of this species, get an overview of its distinguishing features and find out about the evolution of wombats.
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Distribution and ecology
Find out the areas of Australia that Rhizophascolonus crowcrofti is known from. Learn about the type of habitat that wombats live in as well as their feeding patterns.
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Biology
Learn about the size of the teeth of Rhizophascolonus crowcrofti.
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References
Get reference material for Rhizophascolonus crowcrofti.
Images
Rhizophascolonus crowcroft
