Diprotodon (SciiFii)

The giant wombat (Diprotodon modernus, name meaning "modern two forward teeth") is a species of marsupial native to the forests, woodlands and grasslands of Australia. It is largest known marsupial to have ever lived, about 3 metres (9.8 ft) from nose to tail, standing 2 metres (6.6 ft) tall at the shoulder and weighing about 2,790 kilograms (6,150 lb). Much like their smaller relatives, the burrowing true wombats and the arboreal koalas, the giant wombat is a herbivore, mainly eating leaves, shrubs, and some grasses. It is suggested that diprotodonts (both modern and extinct) may have been an inspiration for the legends of the bunyip, as some Aboriginal tribes identify bones of extinct Diprotodon species as those of "bunyips", and have observed giant wombats in the riverbanks, mistaken for the mythical "bunyip". The conservation status of the giant wombat is Near Threatened due to some habitat loss and historic poaching, however, the conservationists have protected giant wombats from poachers and preserved the natural habitats of the giant wombats.