This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(July 2008) |
Wonambiis an extinctgenusofmadtsoiidsnakesthat lived in lateNeogeneto lateQuaternaryAustralia.Species ofWonambiwere constrictor snakes unrelated to AustralianPython s.
| Wonambi Temporal range:Miocene-Pleistocene
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|---|---|
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| Wonambi naracoortensisandThylacoleo | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | †Madtsoiidae |
| Genus: | †Wonambi |
| Type species | |
| Wonambi naracoortensis Smith, 1976
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| Species | |
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†Wonambi barrieiScanlon, 2000 | |
Taxonomy and naming
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Wonambi naracoortensiswas first described from fossils collected atNaracoorte, South Australia,the first extinct snake to be found in Australia.[1]
It was given the name Wonambi from the description, by the localAboriginalpeople, of aserpentof theDreamtime.This serpent, amythologicalbeing commonly referred to by both Aboriginal people and Europeans as theRainbow Serpent,was often held responsible for the creation of major features of the landscape. TheWagylof theWestern AustralianNoongarpeople is thought to correlate to the South Australian people's Wonambi. It is cognate with the genusYurlunggur,found at Riversleigh in Queensland and in the Northern Territory.
The family of this species, Madtsoiidae, became extinct in other parts of the world around 55 million years ago, but new species continued to evolve in Australia. These species are the last known to have existed, becoming extinct in the last 50,000 years.
Description
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Wonambiwas a fairly large snake, with the type species (W. naracoortensis) exceeding 4–6 m (13–20 ft) long and the other species (W. barriei) reaching less than 3 m (9.8 ft) long.[2][3]It was a non-venomous, constrictor snake, and may have been anambush predatorthat killed its prey byconstriction.The head of the animal was small, restricting the size of its prey.
Paleoecology
editWonambi naracoortensislived during thePleistocene,living in relatively cool and arid regions of Australia.[4]It is believed they would have dwelt in natural sun-traps beside local waterholes, where they would ambushkangaroo,wallabyand other prey coming to the water to drink. Mapping such locations in Western Australia, has been found to be closely associated with areas theNoongarpeople regard asWaugalsacred sites.[citation needed]
Tim Flanneryclaims that this animal, along with otherAustralian megafauna,became extinct (partly) as a result of activities ofAboriginal Australians(for example, hunting andfirestick farming).[5]
See also
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References
edit- ^Ehmann, Harald (1993)."33. Family Boidae"(PDF).In C.G.Glasby G.J.B.Ross P.L.Beesley (ed.).Amphibia and Reptilia.Fauna of Australia. Vol. 2A (Online ed.). Australian Government Publishing Service. p. 15.ISBN978-0-644-32429-8.
- ^John D. Scanlon; Michael S. Y. Lee (January 2000). "The Pleistocene serpent Wonambi and the early evolution of snakes. FIGURE 2. Selected elements of Wonambi exhibiting phylogenetically important characters".Nature.403(6768):416–420.doi:10.1038/35000188.PMID10667791.S2CID4404799.
- ^Scanlon, John D. (2014). "3 – Giant terrestrial reptilian carnivores of Cenozoic Australia". In Glen, A.S.; Dickman, C.R. (eds.).Carnivores of Australia: Past, Present and Future.CSIRO Publishing. pp.29–53.ISBN9780643103108.
- ^Palci, Alessandro; Hutchinson, Mark N.; Caldwell, Michael W.; Scanlon, John D.; Lee, Michael S. Y. (14 March 2018)."Palaeoecological inferences for the fossil Australian snakes Yurlunggur and Wonambi (Serpentes, Madtsoiidae)".Royal Society Open Science.5(3): 172012.Bibcode:2018RSOS....572012P.doi:10.1098/rsos.172012.ISSN2054-5703.PMC5882723.PMID29657799.
- ^Flannery, Tim (1994).The Future Eaters:An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People,ISBN0-8021-3943-4ISBN0-7301-0422-2