Здорово... А с кем сравнивают? С леопардом?

Не, у львиного, по-моему, пачка пошире/повыше...

По сравнению с кошкой конечно да, но явно поумнее сегодняшних сумчатых, всяких хорей, крыс и прочих грызунов.
К тому же там череп сделан не особо качественно.

Пересмотр верхнего предела массы Тилаколео! http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/ … /21152.htm

Crazy Zoologist :

Я не против, чтоб он весил до 250 кг, но он слишком мал линейно для этого и череп маленький. Конечно пропорции у него не кошачьи, но череп льва почти в два раза крупнее, а 250 это очень крупный лев.

Сравнение плечевой кости тилаколео с леопардом . У тебя есть данные о длине и окружности диафиза плечевой кости тилаколео? К примеру у очень большого ягуара - длина плечевой кости 245мм , окр. диафиза 76мм. Длина бедра-265мм,окр диафиза 72мм!

Measurements taken from a number of specimens show that they averaged 100 to 130 kg (220 to 285 lb) in weight although individuals heavier than 160 kg (350 lb) may not have been uncommon.[2] This would make it quite comparable to female lions and tigers in general size.
The animal was extremely robust with powerfully built jaws and very strong forelimbs. It possessed retractable claws, a unique trait among marsupials. This would have allowed the claws to remain sharp by protecting them from being worn down on hard surfaces. The claws were well-suited to securing prey and for climbing trees. The first digits ("thumbs") on each hand were semi-opposable and bore an enlarged claw. Palaeontologists believe that this would have been used to grapple with and slash at its intended prey as well as providing it with a sure footing on tree trunks and branches. The hind feet had four functional toes, the first digit being much reduced in size but possessing a roughened pad similar to that of possums, which may have assisted with climbing. It is unclear whether the Marsupial Lion exhibited syndactyly (fused second and third toes) like other diprotodonts.

The Marsupial Lion's hindquarters were also well-developed although to a lesser extent than the front of the animal. Remains of the animal show that it had a relatively thick and strong tail and that the vertebrae possessed chevrons on their undersides where the tail would have contacted the ground. These would have served to protect critical elements such as nerves and blood vessels if the animal used its tail to support itself when on its hind legs, much like present day kangaroos do. Taking this stance would free up its forelimbs to tackle or slash at its intended victim.[

CT scans of a well-preserved skull have allowed scientists to study internal structures and create a brain endocast showing the surface features of the animal's brain. The parietal lobes, visual cortex, and olfactory bulbs of the cerebrum were enlarged indicating that the Marsupial Lion had a good sense of hearing, sight, and smell, as might be expected of an active predator. There were also a pair of blind canals within the nasal cavity which were probably associated with detecting pheromones as in the Tasmanian Devil. This indicates that it most likely had seasonal mating habits and would "sniff out" a mate when in season.

Numerous fossil discoveries indicate that the Marsupial Lion was distributed across much of the Australian continent. A large proportion of its environment would have been similar to the southern third of Australia today - semi-arid open scrub and woodland punctuated by waterholes and water courses.[citation needed]

It would have co-existed with many of the so-called Australian megafauna such as the previously-mentioned Diprotodon, giant kangaroos, and Megalania, as well as giant wallabies like Protemnodon, the giant wombat Phascolonus, and the thunderbird Genyornis.[6]

Many of these animals would have been prey for adult Marsupial Lions. The Marsupial Lion was especially adapted for hunting large animals but was not particularly suited to catching smaller prey. The relatively quick reduction in the numbers of its primary food source around 40 to 50 thousand years ago probably led to the decline and eventual extinction of the Marsupial Lion. There now appears to be little doubt that these events were precipitated by the arrival of humans in Australia and the use of fire-stick farming.

прикольный коллаж! ))

Restoration of the skull of Thylacoleo. From The Ancient Life History of the Earth.


A restoration of the skull of Thylacoleo. From The Ancient Life History of the Earth.


The skull of a rat-kangaroo. From The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London.

Crazy Zoologist :

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/r … ate002.jpg

Кстати, ты заметил,что из 12 образцов у 7 особей длина черепа 24-25.5см длина ,то есть это обычный размер для крупного самца ,а вес от 130-до 164кг у 9 особей ,что тоже обычно !

в большем размере

Нестор, вот эта тема.
Кидаю сюда твои ссылки:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDoMQ4Gj … re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx5ui7Ol … re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd8fSFGQ … re=related