Strange Ancient Marsupials Want Snails For Food According To Research

Marsupials that were found in Australia ate snails regularly as part of their diet. According to researchers, the 15-million-year old fossils constitute animals that used to roam around the country, but are already extinct.

The malleodectes mirabilis artifacts have been discovered at the Riversleigh World Heritage Fossil Site in Queensland. Based on the findings, not much has been left of the cave, aside from the fossilized and bone remains of thousands of animals died inside, including the limestone floors. The cave's ceiling and walls were found to be eroded, leaving only the floor behind, as well as the plethora of the ancient animal remains.

Marupials' Naracoorte and Riversleigh are two most important fossil areas in the world that are found in the south and north of Australia respectively. Both offer an excellent record of the exceptional mammal fauna evolution. This serial property also gives distinct examples of mammal collections in the past 30 million years.  

The animals were reported to be associated with the extinct species Tasmanian tiger and Tasmanina devils - both animals are found only in New Guinea and Australia.  Also,  it seems to have had an appetite for escargot, with its most notable huge sized, extremely powerful and hammer-like premolar, which would have cracked and crushed the strongest snail shells in the forest, according to Australian Geographic

In addition, teeth and some other animal remains have also been discovered at the site for the last few decades. But the distinct nature of the marsupial was not known until the skull of a juvenile animal was examined and revealed secrets about the long-extinct creatures. Another discovery showed that the youngster has still several of its baby teeth, while the adult sets were about to erupt within its mouth.

Other strange creatures found at the same  site were drop crocs, animals with combined  features of both crocodiles and leopards, the tusked kangaroo, fangaroo,  Demon Duck of Doom, one of the world's  largest birds,  R&D Mag reported.

Marsupial fossil analysis  was published in the journal Scientific Reports.