The very first Australian prehistoric mammal to be named and described (by Sir Richard Owen back in 1838), Diprotodon is by far the biggest marsupial that we know of. A mature male would have been over 4 metres long, 1.8 metres tall at the shoulders, and weighed at least 2800 kg, which is heavier than a male hippopotamus and rivalling a male white rhinoceros.
Classification: Mammal
Review: Diprotodon (Dinosaurs and Friends by De Agostini)
4.6 (7 votes)
Guest review and photographs by Viergacht, edited by Suspsy
At the local CNA, I was intrigued to see a children’s book–“Prehistoric Plants: Algae, Fern and Mosses” – that was packaged with a toy fern and what looked to be a Diprotodon, a rhino-sized, bear-like relative of modern wombats and a prehistoric animal not often represented in toy form.
Review: Diprotodon (Lost Kingdoms Series A by Yowie)
3.3 (4 votes)
Marsupials are a fascinating group of mammals. With the ability to have multiple young at once and pouches to keep them safe. They have been around for millions of years, now restricted to Australia and South America. Australia once had the largest member of this class: Diprotodon, a giant Wombat relative the size of rhinos, they died out 50,000 years ago, just as the first Aborigines came to Australia.
Review: Diprotodon (Southlands replicas)
4.6 (12 votes)
Southlands Replicas has grown to become a really great little toy company for Australian animals. Their figures are high quality, providing a great range of unique Aussie species (and a few horses). What has stood out for many on this site is the inclusion of two extinct species in their initial line, Thylacine and Thylacoleo.
Review: Dire Wolf (Bullyland)
3.4 (7 votes)
A new pack of Dire wolves have claimed this stretch of territory just on the edge where the forest meets the open plains. The pack, numbering seven animals, is led by a young pair of Alpha male and female, both just recently left their old packs to form their own.
Review: Dire Wolf (MPC)
3.8 (18 votes)
You’d think a creature like the dire wolf would have a few more toys to its name. Canis dirus (now reclassified as Aenocyon dirus) is almost unheard of on the prehistoric toy market, even though the genus made its introduction to paleo merchandise over fifty years ago.
Review: Doedicurus (CollectA)
5 (38 votes)
Weighing up to more than two tons, Doedicurus clavicaudatus, sometimes known as the morning star-tailed glyptodon, was one of the last and largest members of its family. Like most other prehistoric jumbo armadillos, it featured a heavy domed carapace and an armoured tail, but in its case, the tail was extra long and terminated in a thick club that probably bore spikes.
Review: Doedicurus (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)
Review: Doedicurus (Prehistoric Life Collection by Safari Ltd)
4.4 (21 votes)
Doedicurus was a large genus of glyptodont sporting a bony carapace and a tail ending in a spiked club. These adaptations may have been for defense from Smilodon, which coexisted with Doedicurus, but the club may also have been used during confrontations with other Doedicurus.
Review: Elasmotherium (Deluxe by CollectA)
4.8 (30 votes)
Bront’s breakfast is suddenly and rudely interrupted as a large cave lion leaps from the tall grass onto his back and attempts to sink its teeth and claws into his hide. But his matted fur coat provides more than enough protection and Bront angrily bucks his attacker off.
Review: Embolotherium (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)
4.4 (8 votes)
Review and photographs by Indohyus, edited by Suspsy
By now, we are all aware of the reputation of the Geoworld Jurassic hunters line: cheaply made figures, full of inaccuracies despite (false) claims of palaeontological approval and shameless plagiarism of palaeoartists. However, I wanted to investigate these figures personally, so I got a figure from each of the first three ‘expeditions’ and see what they were like.
By now, we are all aware of the reputation of the Geoworld Jurassic hunters line: cheaply made figures, full of inaccuracies despite (false) claims of palaeontological approval and shameless plagiarism of palaeoartists. However, I wanted to investigate these figures personally, so I got a figure from each of the first three ‘expeditions’ and see what they were like.
Review: Entelodon (Mojö Fun)
4.8 (6 votes)
Despite their appearance and popular designation as “Hell” or “terminator” pigs the group scientifically knows as the entelodontidae are now thought to have been more closely related to whales and hippopotamuses. Regardless of their taxonomic affinity there is no denying the superficial resemblance the entelodonts have to pigs, and one has to wonder if they had a similar temperament to pigs and hippopotamuses as well.