Holotype of Kolopsoides cultridens

This lower jaw of Kolopsoides cultridens belongs to an extinct group of extinct marsupials called "Diprotodontids", commonly referred to as "giant wombats". All diprotodontid members are characterised by their forward projecting lower incisors (Di = forward, proto = forward, don = tooth). You can see this in the Kolopsoides holotype. The largest member was Diprotodon, weighing at approximately 3 tonnes and standing 1.8m high at the shoulders.

This specimen was discovered from Papua New Guinea and registered in the National Mineral and Fossil Collection at Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Palaeontologists (scientists who study fossils) can study this particular specimen to develop our understanding of how Australia's unique megafauna responded to changes in environmental conditions and identify potential driving forces behind evolution. Additionally, by observing the shape of the molars in extinct mammals, scientists can compare them to modern day species and determine what sort of food an extinct organism consumed. Using this observation, palaeontologists discovered that diprotodontids and modern day kangaroos (Macropods) have very similar molar shape, concluding that diprotodontids must be consuming on similar types of vegetation as today's kangaroos.