Macropus
Macropus[1] Temporal range: Miocene - Present
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Eastern grey kangaroo | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Diprotodontia |
Family: | Macropodidae |
Subfamily: | Macropodinae |
Genus: | Macropus Shaw, 1790 |
Type species | |
Macropus giganteus Shaw, 1790
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Species density of the genus Macropus |
Macropus is a marsupial genus in the family Macropodidae. It has two extant species of large terrestrial kangaroos. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek μάκρος, makros "long" and πους, pous "foot". Thirteen known extinct species are recognised. The type species is the eastern grey kangaroo.
Taxonomy[]
- Genus Macropus
- Western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus)
- Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)
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- †Macropus ferragus
- †Macropus mundjabus
- †Macropus pan
- †Macropus pearsoni
- †Macropus titan (or †Macropus giganteus titan)
A currently-unnamed Pleistocene Macropus species from Australia was the largest kangaroo ever, with an estimated mass of around 274 kg (~604 lb).[2]
In 2019, a reassessment of macropod taxonomy determined that Osphranter and Notamacropus, formerly considered subgenera, should be moved to the genus level.[3] This change was accepted by the Australian Faunal Directory in 2020.[4]
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Macropus. |
- ^ Groves, C. P. (2005). "Order Diprotodontia". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 63–66. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Hocknull, Scott A.; Lewis, Richard; Arnold, Lee J.; Pietsch, Tim; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud; Price, Gilbert J.; Moss, Patrick; Wood, Rachel; Dosseto, Anthony; Louys, Julien; Olley, Jon (2020-05-18). "Extinction of eastern Sahul megafauna coincides with sustained environmental deterioration". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 2250. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-15785-w. ISSN 2041-1723.
- ^ Celik, Mélina; Cascini, Manuela; Haouchar, Dalal; Van Der Burg, Chloe; Dodt, William; Evans, Alistair; Prentis, Peter; Bunce, Michael; Fruciano, Carmelo; Phillips, Matthew (28 March 2019). "A molecular and morphometric assessment of the systematics of the Macropus complex clarifies the tempo and mode of kangaroo evolution". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 186 (3): 793–812. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz005. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Names List for MACROPODIDAE, Australian Faunal Directory". Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Department of the Environment and Energy. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
Further reading[]
- "Speare, R. and Thomas, A.D. (1988), Orphaned kangaroo and wallaby joeys as a potential zoonotic source of Salmonella spp.". Medical Journal of Australia. 148: 619–623. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1988.tb116333.x.
Categories:
- Macropods
- Marsupials of Australia
- Marsupial genera
- Taxa named by George Shaw
- Diprotodont stubs