Content deleted Content added
Tag: Reverted |
McMadagascar (talk | contribs) species name should also be bold |
||
| (One intermediate revision by one other user not shown) | |||
Line 12:
}}
The '''Bluff Downs giant python''' ('''''Liasis dubudingala''''') is an [[extinction|extinct]] [[species]] of [[snake]] from [[Queensland]], [[Australia]], that lived during the Early [[Pliocene]]. Named in 2002, ''Liasis dubudingala'' was likely the biggest snake found in Australia, with a total length of up to {{convert|9|m|abbr=on}}. This length rivals the largest extant snake species, the [[reticulated python]] from Asia and the [[green anaconda]] from South America. It may have fed on larger prey such as juvenile [[Diprotodontidae|diprotodontids]], but it is also possible that it was a skilled climber capable of catching birds and arboreal marsupials.
==History and naming==
Line 30:
''Liasis dubudingala'' coexisted with a multitude of other reptiles, including multiple crocodilians and a large-bodied monitor lizard. Besides ''[[Quinkana babarra]]'', other predators of the [[Bluff Downs Local Fauna]] include the two marsupials ''[[Thylacoleo crassidentatus]]'' and ''[[Dasyurus|Dasyurus dunmalli]]''. Like modern pythons, ''Liasis dubudingala'' likely hunted using heat sensitive pits located around the mouth. However due to the lack of adult skull material, the gape and consequently the maximum prey size could not be determined. Determining head size based on body size meanwhile is a complicated matter, as different snakes may vary greatly in proportions. ''[[Morelia amethistina]]'' for example is known to be relatively slender, but specimens with a body length of less than {{convert|6|m|abbr=on}} are still known to be capable of killing and feeding on [[wallabies]]. The [[reticulated python]] meanwhile, which is close in size to ''Liasis dubudingala'', is known to feed on large prey including but not limited to pigs, deer and primates. Prey availability is an equally important factor and the Pliocene Bluff Downs was likely similar to the modern [[Kakadu National Park]], although potentially with patches of more closed forest. The climate was also favorable to large snakes, with the warm temperatures and humidity being important factors that aid in snake digestion.<ref name=SM01/>
Based on environment, size and the favorable climatic conditions, it's possible that ''Liasis dubudingala'' could have fed on relatively large prey including juvenile [[Diprotodontidae|diprotodontids]]. At the same time, the high neural spine is a possible indicator that the python was a capable climber that may have also preyed on birds, reptiles and arboreal mammals, which would match the presence of more densely forested areas during the Pliocene.<ref name=SM01/>
==References==
| |||