Anderson's Short-Faced Roo
Sthenurus andersoni
🦘
Chordata
Mammalia
Diprotodontia
Macropodoidea
Macropodidae
Sthenurus
Sthenurus andersoni
The Sturdy-Bodied Kangaroo — Sthenurus andersoni was one of the last of Australia’s short-faced kangaroos, an upright browser with a compact, muscular body built for power rather than speed. It lived during the Late Pleistocene, browsing on shrubs and leaves in the open woodlands and plains of southeastern Australia.
Description
Sthenurus andersoni — Known as one of the most recognizable species of short-faced kangaroos, this extinct marsupial belonged to the family Macropodidae, within the order Diprotodontia and infraorder Macropodiformes. It shared the genus Sthenurus with several other robust browsers, but S. andersoni was distinguished by its large size and deep, short skull suited for crushing tough vegetation. Adults reached about 2 meters in standing height, a shoulder height of 1.4 meters, and a length of around 2.6 meters, weighing roughly 170 kilograms. It stood upright, supporting its weight with thick hind limbs and a heavy balancing tail, and probably walked slowly rather than hopping at high speed.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
210
1.6
2.5
2.5
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Omnivores – Balanced
Hunt History
Early Aboriginal Australians likely hunted Sthenurus andersoni as part of the broader Pleistocene megafaunal extinction wave. Its large size and predictable movement patterns made it a practical target, particularly when driven toward waterholes or trapped using fire. Cut marks and burned bones found in several deposits indicate that humans processed their carcasses for meat, hide, and bone tools.
Archaeological Evidence:
Naracoorte Caves, South Australia — Fossil-rich deposits containing S. andersoni remains dated to 42,000 years ago, near evidence of early human activity.
Cuddie Springs, New South Wales — Megafaunal bones intermixed with human artifacts, dated to about 36,000 years ago.
Lake Callabonna, South Australia — Nearly complete skeletons preserved in ancient clay beds, about 45,000 years old, providing exquisite detail of posture and gait.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
40000
BP
Late Pleistocene
Australia
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
10.5
kg
Targeted Organs
Visceral & subcutaneous
Adipose Depots
Visceral/subcutaneous (general)
Preferred Cuts
Visceral depot
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
3