Since finally breaking away from Antarctica and South America approximately 55 million years ago, Australia’s animals have evolved in isolation under the influence of a number of major climatic changes. As a result of this, the Australian continent today contains a diverse and unique collection of fauna vastly different to that found elsewhere in the world. Unfortunately, Australia’s unique biodiversity today faces new and potentially devastating threats, a consequence of a number of human-related activities.
Palorchestes azael (or “Ancient Leaper or Dancer” or “Marsupial Tapir”) are a species of marsupial that could get up to 2.5 metres long and weighs 200 kilograms, and looked a lot like a tapir thanks to its small retracted nasal bones …show more content…
Paleontologist Rod Wells and cave explorer Grant Gartrell of Flinders University were exploring Victoria Cave hoping to find fossilized bones once they broke through into a buried passage, what they found within the unmapped caves was astounding. They found the biggest, most diverse and best preserved Pleistocene vertebrate fossil assemblage in Australia in what's currently referred to as the Fossil Chamber. The Pleistocene fossil vertebrate deposits of Victoria Fossil Cave at Naracoorte area are thought of being Australia's largest and best preserved, and one of the richest deposits within the world. For more than 3000,000 years sediment and animal bones built up within the Fossil Chamber through a gap in the ceiling, forming an enormous cone like pile. The cave acted as a large natural pitfall trap: animals that fell in were unable to flee through the high entrance and died, their skeletons lying nearly undisturbed for thousands of years. The fossil material includes complete postcranial remains (many of which are partly articulated) and skulls therefore well preserved that even the foremost delicate bones are still intact. Sand and soil was transported into these cave entrances by water and wind, forming deep deposits spanning within the minimum of the last 500,000 years of the Quaternary period (2.6 million years to present). Recent analysis or the caves has revealed that the deposits contain far more than bones, with fossil plant material, pollen, fossilized algae and even DNA. This enables scientists to make a comprehensive image of the atmosphere/environment throughout this point in time. Associated calcite formations (such as stalagmites) have preserved essential data on past climate. For example, past rainfall will be determined by analysing the fine growth layers inside the formations. No one is aware of the extent of the Naracoorte Cave system. There are also additional hidden fossil-rich
Palorchestes azael (or “Ancient Leaper or Dancer” or “Marsupial Tapir”) are a species of marsupial that could get up to 2.5 metres long and weighs 200 kilograms, and looked a lot like a tapir thanks to its small retracted nasal bones …show more content…
Paleontologist Rod Wells and cave explorer Grant Gartrell of Flinders University were exploring Victoria Cave hoping to find fossilized bones once they broke through into a buried passage, what they found within the unmapped caves was astounding. They found the biggest, most diverse and best preserved Pleistocene vertebrate fossil assemblage in Australia in what's currently referred to as the Fossil Chamber. The Pleistocene fossil vertebrate deposits of Victoria Fossil Cave at Naracoorte area are thought of being Australia's largest and best preserved, and one of the richest deposits within the world. For more than 3000,000 years sediment and animal bones built up within the Fossil Chamber through a gap in the ceiling, forming an enormous cone like pile. The cave acted as a large natural pitfall trap: animals that fell in were unable to flee through the high entrance and died, their skeletons lying nearly undisturbed for thousands of years. The fossil material includes complete postcranial remains (many of which are partly articulated) and skulls therefore well preserved that even the foremost delicate bones are still intact. Sand and soil was transported into these cave entrances by water and wind, forming deep deposits spanning within the minimum of the last 500,000 years of the Quaternary period (2.6 million years to present). Recent analysis or the caves has revealed that the deposits contain far more than bones, with fossil plant material, pollen, fossilized algae and even DNA. This enables scientists to make a comprehensive image of the atmosphere/environment throughout this point in time. Associated calcite formations (such as stalagmites) have preserved essential data on past climate. For example, past rainfall will be determined by analysing the fine growth layers inside the formations. No one is aware of the extent of the Naracoorte Cave system. There are also additional hidden fossil-rich