Researcher Uncover Largest Ever Species of Prehistoric Kangaroo

Protemnodon Viator, which was also found in New Guinea, an animal said to weigh up to 170kg, making it the largest kangaroo ever discovered.

Isaac Kerr with a bone from the Protemnodon Viator. Courtesy of Flinders University

The discovery of complete skeletons from an ancient species of giant kangaroo has led researchers to uncover three unusual new species, with one weighing twice as much as a modern-day male red kangaroo.

A study, authored by palaeontologists from Flinders University, which looked at the extinct Protemnodon species, described how the animals, while closely related, had distinctive ways of hopping when compared to today’s kangaroos.