Not Like Any Cat You Know

[Recusant]

Despite what is said in the story below, I don't think that they'd be very cuddly at all.

"Microleo attenboroughi: New Species of Marsupial Lion Unearthed in Australia" | SciNews

Reconstruction of Microleo attenboroughi.
Image credit: Peter Schouten.

The fossilized remains of Microleo attenboroughi were found in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland, and analyzed by experts from the University of New South Wales.

"The species name honors Sir David Attenborough for his dedication and enthusiasm in promoting the natural history of the world and the paleontological treasures of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in particular," the authors explained.

Microleo attenboroughi was much smaller than the other members of Thylacoleonidae, including its most famous relative – Thylacoleo carnifex.

"Microleo attenboroughi would have been more like the cute, but still feisty kitten of the family," said lead author Dr. Anna Gillespie, of the PANGEA Research Centre at the University of New South Wales.

"It was not lion-size or even bob-cat-size. Weighing only about 600 grams, it was more like a ringtail possum in size."

[Continues . . .]

[Asmodean]

About time Sir David got an animal named after him. 

[joeactor]

Despite what is said in the story below, I don't think that they'd be very cuddly at all.

"Microleo attenboroughi: New Species of Marsupial Lion Unearthed in Australia" | SciNews

Cool find... never thought of Sir David as cuddly anyway ;-)

[Sandra Craft]

About time Sir David got an animal named after him. 

I think the Latin for "funny face" would have been more appropriate.

[Asmodean]

I actually enjoyed his First Life films so much that I was sort of hoping he'd get one of them earliest animals named after him. Maybe some distant ancestor of vertibrates or some such.

A marsupial is... Well, it's still a great honour in his circles, I think.

[Recusant]

According to Earth Touch News Network, there are nine species named David Attenborough.

The first one they show is actually a genus of plesiosaurs, exemplified by Attenborosaurus conybeari. Then the ancient fish Materpiscis attenboroughi and a beetle, (Trigonopterus attenboroughi), then a plant genus; Sirdavidia, and a ghost shrimp (Ctenocheloides attenborough), as well as an ancient pygmy locust (Electrotettix attenboroughi), a tiny spider (Prethopalpus attenboroughi), a pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii) and a type of British hawkweed (Hieracium attenboroughianum). So Microleo attenboroughi would be the tenth species named for Sir David.

[No one]

Majorus douchebagus arroganti may be the best way to describe the vile human creature.

[Recusant]

Majorus douchebagus arroganti may be the best way to describe the vile human creature.

May be. However that description ignores a significant percentage of the characteristics of our species.

[No one]

And yet their arrogance fuels a significant percentage of the species' characteristics.

[Recusant]

Anyway . . . I'm curious about the morphology of this newly discovered marsupial "cat." The description of Thylacoleo carnifex goes into some detail about its unusual forelimbs and paws. Since all we have of Microleo attenboroughi is a partial skull and some teeth, there's no way to know whether it had some of the same adaptations as its large relative, but if it was at least partially arboreal I think those features would come in handy. The illustration seems to show that the scientists are thinking along those same lines.



I haven't read the paper yet; maybe they go into this there.