Diprotodon fossil map
Where fossils of Diprotodon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Ice Age & later mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 23.04 million years ago to the present (Aquitanian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Diprotodontidae |
| Named by | Owen 1838 |
| Fossil records | 72 occurrences at 62 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Australia |
| Rock formations | txn:40185, Chinchilla Sand, Moorna Sandstone, Moorna, Wyandotte |
About Diprotodon
Diprotodon, from Ancient Greek δί- (dí-), meaning "two", πρῶτος (prôtos), meaning "first", and ὀδούς (odoús), meaning "tooth", is an extinct genus of diprotodontid marsupial from the Pleistocene of Australia containing one species, D. optatum. The earliest finds date to 1.77 million to 780,000 years ago, but most specimens are dated to after 110,000 years ago. Its remains were first unearthed in 1830, in Wellington Caves, New South Wales, and contemporary paleontologists guessed they belonged to rhinos, elephants, hippos or dugongs.
Diprotodon was formally described by English naturalist Richard Owen in 1838, and was the first named Australian fossil mammal. This led Owen to become the foremost authority of his time on other marsupials and Australian megafauna, which were enigmatic to European science.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Diprotodon (revision 1381323893), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q131563.
