Sthenurus fossil map
Where fossils of Sthenurus 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 | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 27.3 million years ago to the present (Chattian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary |
| Named by | Owen 1874 |
| Fossil records | 196 occurrences at 69 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Australia |
| Rock formations | txn:NF, Katipiri, Chinchilla Sand, Tirari, Whaler's Bluff, Moorna Sandstone |
About Sthenurus
Sthenurus ("strong tail") is an extinct genus of kangaroos. With a length around 3 m (10 ft), some species were twice as large as modern extant species. Sthenurus was related to the better-known Procoptodon. The subfamily Sthenurinae is believed to have separated from its sister taxon, the Macropodinae (kangaroos and wallabies), halfway through the Miocene, and then its population grew during the Pliocene.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Sthenurus (revision 1364869827), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q142888.
