Australian scientists have made a fascinating discovery of an ancient creature they have named the ‘echidnapus’, believed to have roamed Australia during prehistoric times. The remains of this peculiar animal, including fossilized pieces of its jaw bone, were unearthed in opal fields in northern New South Wales. Alongside the ‘echidnapus’, evidence of several other ancient and now extinct monotreme species was also found.
Officially identified as Opalios splendens, this newly discovered species has been affectionately nicknamed for its resemblance to the modern platypus and echidna, the only egg-laying mammals in existence today. The research team suggests that these findings indicate a past era in Australia known as the ‘age of monotremes’, during which these rare animals were prevalent and dominant.
Lead author Professor Tim Flannery likened the discovery to finding a whole new civilization. The fossils, estimated to be approximately 100 million years old, were initially discovered about 25 years ago by palaeontologist Elizabeth Smith and her daughter Clytie while sifting through discarded material from an opal mine. These specimens were later donated to the Australian Museum, where they remained forgotten until recently.
Upon rediscovery, Professor Flannery, a mammalogist, recognized the significance of the fossils, identifying them as belonging to ancient monotremes. While some bones were attributed to the previously known Steropodon galmani, an ancestor of the platypus, other fragments unveiled evidence of three previously unidentified species. These findings were detailed in a publication in the journal Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.
Professor Kris Helgen, Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, noted that the Opalios splendens exhibits a unique combination of features, resembling both the platypus and echidna in different aspects of its anatomy. The rarity of opal fossils, especially those of monotremes, makes these specimens particularly exceptional.
The discovery expands the known number of monotreme species that once inhabited Lightning Ridge, a region that was once a cold, wet forest adjacent to a vast inland sea. According to Elizabeth Smith, this finding sheds light on Australia’s history as a land populated by furry egg-layers, or monotremes, before the dominance of marsupials.
Experts caution that further exploration is necessary to determine the extent of Australia’s past monotreme diversity. However, the uncovering of these ancient creatures at Lightning Ridge provides valuable insights into the prehistoric fauna of the region and the unique evolutionary history of Australian mammals.
