Giant koala

A description of the species was published by Alan Bartholomai in 1968, based on a partial maxilla with remains of teeth that was uncovered at the Cement Mills limestone quarry near Gore, Queensland. The material was determined to have occurred at a Pleistocene horizon of the site. The author assigned the species to the genus of the extant koala as Phascolarctos stirtoni, the specific epithet commemorates the American professor, R. A. Stirton, in recognition of his work on marsupial fossils. ==Description==

The giant koala was an arboreal marsupial weighing about 13 kg, It is assumed that the giant koala was a folivore which was specialised to feed on eucalyptus leaves, like its extant relative. ==Extinction==

Fossil remains of Phascolarctos stirtoni have been discovered in Lake Eyre and Lake Tarkarooloo basins in South Australia. It was once thought that the modern-day koala was descended from the giant koala, but this has now been determined to be incorrect. Gilbert Price, of the University of Queensland, used improved dating techniques to analyse fossils of both types of koala to find that the two species were living together in the same arboreal niche. It is unclear from what the koalas descend, and why one species survived while the other became extinct. It is hypothesized that a change in climate and a restriction of food supply caused P. stirtoni's extinction. Another possible reason is hunting by humans, particularly for larger animals like P. stirtoni. The "dwarfing" hypothesis, based on the similarities of the two koalas has been used to support both ideas. ==References==