PALORCHESTES

'''Palorchestes azael''' is an extinct species of marsupial.
It was a 2'50 m (8 ft 4 in) long creature that resembled a tapir, possessing a short proboscis (based on the appearance of its nasal bones). ''Palorchestes'' front legs bore large claws, probably used to pull down leaves.
''Palorchestes azael'' was a marsupial species that lived during the Pleistocene period (2 million - 10,000 years ago). It went extinct about 40,000 years ago. This creature has been called the "marsupial tapir" because of its long nose. However, ''Palorchestes'' was not a tapir. The similarity in nose shape is an example of convergent evolution.
''Palorchestes azael'' was almost as large as a horse. It had claws like those of koalas. The tongue of ''Palorchestes azael'' was long and ribbon-like. It walked on four powerful legs. This creature was an herbivore. It is thought to have fed in these ways: pulling up bushes and eating the roots
stripping the bark from trees and eating the soft inner part of the trunk.
Fossilized remains of ''Palorchestes azael'' have been found at the Naracoorte Caves fossil site in Australia.
It is often described as the most unsightly animal ever made extinct by man.

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