A giant extinct kangaroo had a unique link with pandas, say scientists



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Scientists have discovered that a gigantic kangaroo that roamed southwest Australia more than 40,000 years ago had something in common with giant pandas.

These short-faced kangaroos, now missing, weigh more than 260 points, make up adult men, consume plants and, according to a new study published in the newspaper PLOS One, they had a large jaw that allowed to bite easily. difficult foods like leaves, stems and ripe branches.

Scientists have discovered that giant pandas, which consume a similar vegetation, have jaw bones and similar muscles. According to the study, the jaw of the kangaroo is closer to that of the giant pandas today than that of modern kangaroos.

"In general, they would have looked very different from modern-day kangaroos, with thicker bodies, long muscular arms with extended fingers, often one big toe on each foot, and koala-shaped box-shaped heads. ", Said author of the study, D. Rex Mitchell, at Newsweek.

The extinct kangaroo has managed to adapt to taste foods that are difficult to chew more than any Australian herbivore living today. Modern kangaroos now eat mainly herbs, flowers, ferns and moss.

"The ability to consume parts of plants that other herbivores of the time could not offer them a competitive advantage in difficult times," Mitchell said.

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