Diprotodon found in Gawler

Fast Facts

Type of thing	Palaeontological find
Date made or found	{{#set:Date approximate=No}}1891
Place found	Gawler South

• Location:

The bones were found at Gawler South on the property of Mr. Thomas Molan

.• Circumstances: Workmen under the direction of contractor Mr. James Peek were excavating for a water tank.

• Depth: The deposit of bones was located about 8 feet (2.4 meters) underground

• Identification: Initially, the workmen didn't realize the significance, but as larger bones emerged, Mr. W. Howchin (a lecturer of the Gawler Geological and Mineralogical Class) was called in. He confirmed they belonged to a Diprotodon—the largest marsupial to ever live.

The Excavation and Conflict

• Specimen:

The find included a large portion of a skeleton, including a massive leg bone (femur) that was about 11 feet (likely including surrounding material) and had to be removed in pieces.

• The "Hostage" Bones:

Amandus Zeitz from the South Australian Museum arrived to collect the bones. However, just as they were packed in sawdust and ready to be shipped to Adelaide, the property owner demanded £10 for their release.

• Outcome:

Zeitz could not authorize the payment on the spot. The cases were left in local safekeeping while he returned to consult with his committee.

The Current Status:

Lost to History? Unfortunately, the Gawler Diprotodon is a "lost" specimen

• Unmarked: Systematic numbering and registration of fossils at the SA Museum didn't begin until 1911.

• No Records: Because the Gawler bones were collected before this period and under a cloud of financial dispute, they were never properly registered.

• Discarded: Experts believe that because the Gawler bones were "crumbly" and found in pieces, they may have been discarded later in favour of the much more complete and better-preserved specimens found at Lake Callabonna in 1892

Comparison: Why Gawler isn't the "Main" Site

While the Gawler find was "of more than ordinary interest" at the time, it was quickly overshadowed by other South Australian locations: Location Significance Gawler (1891) One of the earliest reports; partial and poorly preserved. Lake Callabonna (1892) The "holy grail" of sites; hundreds of articulated skeletons were found in the mud. Burra / Baldina Creek Provided some of the first evidence of megafauna in the region. Hallett Cove (1992) A more recent find of a juvenile Diprotodon that lived ~55,000 years ago.

A Diprotodon (meaning "two forward teeth")

was the largest marsupial to ever walk the Earth. Often described as a "giant, hippopotamus-sized wombat," it was a central figure of Australia's Pleistocene megafauna.

Here is a breakdown of what made this animal so unique:

1. Size and Appearance • Massive Scale: They could grow up to 4 meters (13 feet) long and stand 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall at the shoulder.

• Weight: An adult could weigh up to 2,800 kg (about 3 tons)—roughly the same as a large SUV or a rhinoceros.

• Physical Features: * Pigeon-toed: Like modern wombats, their feet turned inwards.

o The Pouch: Females had a backward-facing pouch (so dirt wouldn't get in while digging), and fossils have even been found with baby Diprotodon bones still inside the pouch area.

o The Nose: They had a very large, bulbous nose and a lightweight, "honeycombed" skull.

2. Relatives and Diet

Closest Living Relatives: They are most closely related to wombats and koalas, though they were vastly larger.

• Herbivores: They were "mega-herbivores," eating between 100 and 150 kg of shrubs, leaves, and grasses every day.

• Migration: Recent research on their teeth shows they were the first known marsupials to perform seasonal migrations, traveling hundreds of kilometers to follow food and water.

3. Life and Extinction

• Time Period: They lived during the Pleistocene epoch, from about 1.6 million years ago until they went extinct roughly 45,000 years ago.

• Interaction with Humans: They co-existed with early Indigenous Australians for thousands of years. They appear in ancient rock art and likely inspired "Dreamtime" storie and legends of the Bunyip.

• Why they disappeared: The cause of their extinction is a major scientific debate. The two leading theories (which likely worked together) are:

Climate Change:

A massive drying of the Australian continent that depleted their water sources.

Human Impact:

Hunting or the use of fire to manage the landscape, which changed the vegetation they relied on.

References

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