- Maximucinus muirheadae
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Maximucinus muirheadae
Temporal range: Lower Oligocene–Middle Miocene
M. muirheadae closely resembled the Thylacine Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Marsupialia Order: Dasyuromorphia Family: †Thylacinidae Genus: †Maximucinus Species: †T. muirheadae Binomial name Maximucinus muirheadae Maximucinus muirheadae lived during the middle Miocene and is the largest thylacine species known to have lived in Australia from the late Oligocene to the middle Miocene.
T. muirheadae was a quadrupedal marsupial predator, that in appearance looked similar to a dog with a long snout. Its molar teeth were specialized for carnivory; the cups and crest were reduced or elongated to give the molars a cutting blade. Its estimated weight is 18 kilograms.
The holotype and only specimen is a second upper molar found in Riversleigh. The species is named after Jeanette Muirhead because of her work on thylacinids.
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