{"id":290992,"date":"2025-11-14T11:10:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/290992\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T11:10:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:10:07","slug":"scientists-uncover-surprising-link-between-koala-and-ice-age-marsupial-lion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/290992\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists uncover surprising link between koala and Ice Age ‘marsupial lion’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Scientists<\/p>\n

Credit: University of Manchester<\/p>\n

A sleepy koala may seem worlds apart from a giant Ice Age predator, but scientists have uncovered the first molecular evidence linking the two.<\/p>\n

The discovery, published<\/a> in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, provides the first biomolecular data linking several extinct Australian megafauna species to their living relatives.<\/p>\n

Unlocking ancient relationships with collagen<\/p>\n

Led by Dr. Michael Buckley at The University of Manchester, an international team analyzed 51 fossilized marsupial bones collected from caves and swamps across Tasmania\u2014one of the last refuges of these giant animals. Using an innovative technique called zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry<\/a> (ZooMS), or collagen fingerprinting, the team was able to analyze fossils more than 100,000 years old\u2014far beyond the age limit for traditional DNA analysis.<\/p>\n

Dr. Buckley said, “Until now, we’ve struggled to determine exactly how many of these extinct species were related because Australia’s hot climate destroys DNA over time. However, collagen proteins survive in much older and even extremely fragmented bones, allowing us to identify species and reconstruct the evolutionary relationships<\/a> between extinct and living marsupials that could not be achieved through traditional methods.”<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSurprising connections among Australian megafauna<\/p>\n

The most surprising discovery was that, despite being wildly different animals, the koala and the marsupial lion\u2014one of the largest meat-eating mammals ever to roam Australia\u2014shared a common ancestor around 25\u201335 million years ago. This places the two animals much closer than previously thought.<\/p>\n

The research also provides new biomolecular data for two other extinct species\u2014Zygomaturus trilobus and Palorchestes azael. Comparisons of their ancient collagen sequences confirmed that both belonged to the broader wombat\u2013koala group, known as Vombatiformes.<\/p>\n

Implications for extinction mysteries and future research<\/p>\n

The findings could help solve one of Australia’s biggest prehistoric mysteries surrounding the extinction of the continent’s giant animals.<\/p>\n

During the Late Pleistocene, Australia lost nearly 90% of its giant land animals in one of the greatest extinction events in Earth’s history. Scientists are still debating whether the cause was climate change, human hunting, or a combination of both.<\/p>\n

Because ZooMS can identify even tiny bone fragments and reveal their species, it could help scientists refine the timeline of when Australia’s megafauna disappeared and how long they overlapped with humans.<\/p>\n

Dr. Buckley added, “ZooMS also allows thousands of fossil specimens<\/a> to be analyzed quickly, so it could be a game-changer for the study of extinct species<\/a>. We can now identify more fossils, improve extinction chronologies, and better understand ancient biodiversity.”<\/p>\n

More information:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Buckley et al, Collagen fingerprinting and sequence analysis provides a molecular phylogeny of extinct Australian megafauna, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1098\/rspb.2025.0856<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUniversity of Manchester<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCitation:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tScientists uncover surprising link between koala and Ice Age ‘marsupial lion’ (2025, November 13)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 14 November 2025
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-11-scientists-uncover-link-koala-ice.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
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