55 million years ago - ghosts of Gondwana
Lost links of the southern lands
In the early Eocene, many plants and animals lived in mossy, broad-leaved rainforests and low-lying mangrove swamps throughout the great southern land of Gondwana.
Fossils of these ghosts of Gondwana are entombed in rocks throughout the once-linked lands of Australia, South America and Antarctica.
Gondwanan connections the marsupial mamba
The teeth of two different marsupials one from Peru in South America, and the other from Australia are striking evidence of an ancient Gondwanan connection. The two are so similar that they are classified as members of the same genus Chulpasia. (A genus is a group of very closely related animals. For example, Red Kangaroos and Eastern Grey Kangaroos are different species that belong to the same genus.)
Tingamarra Chulpasia.
Illustration: A Musser © Australian Museum.
Clear evidence of the Gondwanan heritage of platypuses was discovered in 1991 and 1992 in wind-swept Patagonia in Argentina, South America three fossil teeth of a Patagonian platypus that was 50 per cent larger than Australia's living Platypus. This giant South American platypus lived 63 to 61 million years ago.
Gondwanan connections the snake salsa
Snake fossils recovered from South America are similar to others recently discovered in Australia. These extinct, predatory snakes were distant ancestors of much larger 8m long snakes that survived in Australia until about 60,000 years ago.
Alamitophis species.
Illustration: A Musser © Australian Museum.
Gondwanan connections the turtle tango
The Tingamarra Soft-shelled Turtle lived in swampy lakes and probably ate crayfish, small fish, frogs and snakes. Its shell was not fused together, enabling it to squeeze into tight spaces. Soft-shelled turtles died out in Australia during the last 100,000 years but survive in Asia and New Guinea.
Tingamarra Soft-shelled Turtle.
Illustration: A Musser © Australian Museum.
