Ancient Bone-Crunching Thylacine Femur Uncovered Near Alice Springs

An intact femur belonging to Thylacinus potens, the largest known species of thylacine in Australia's Northern Territory, has been unearthed near Alice Springs. This significant paleontological find occurred at the Alcoota fossil bed, a site renowned for its rich prehistoric discoveries.

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It's the best feeling.

Adam Yates, senior curator of earth sciences at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), made the discovery while working in one of the reserve's excavation pits. After carefully removing millions of years of sediment, he uncovered the complete thigh bone of the extinct marsupial predator. Yates described the moment as "the best feeling," noting that the team had never before found a complete skull or a major limb bone of this species.

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We've never found a whole skull, and we've certainly never found a major complete limb bone like this one.

Thylacinus potens, a distant relative of the Tasmanian tiger, was a dog-like predator that roamed the region during the late Miocene epoch when the climate was considerably wetter. For decades, paleontologists have found fragments of its teeth and jaw bones at the Alcoota site. However, the discovery of this intact femur is unprecedented and offers crucial new data.

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I was brushing away some overburden from a different bone when this ball joint appeared in front of me. I didn't know what it was and kept brushing and following it back.

While it was previously speculated that the Alcoota thylacine was significantly larger than its Tasmanian counterpart, the size of the unearthed femur suggests this might not be the case. "It doesn't look particularly large," Yates commented, indicating that the find will provide scientists with valuable insights into the animal's actual size and characteristics. This specimen is the first of its kind to be added to MAGNT's collection, promising to deepen our understanding of Australia's ancient fauna.

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You also have to tell yourself, 'Hang on. It could be something ordinary.' But it was something extraordinary. Every now and then, it does turn out to be something quite exciting.