Maddock's Short-Faced Roo
Simosthenurus maddocki
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Chordata
Mammalia
Diprotodontia
Macropodoidea
Macropodidae
Simosthenurus
Simosthenurus maddocki
The Broad-Faced Giant Kangaroo — Simosthenurus maddocki was a heavily built, browsing kangaroo that once roamed the Pleistocene woodlands of Australia. Its deep skull and shortened snout gave it a powerful bite for processing tough, fibrous leaves and stems.
Description
Simosthenurus maddocki — Known as the Broad-Faced Giant Kangaroo, this extinct marsupial was part of the Macropodidae family, within the Order Diprotodontia and Infraorder Macropodiformes. Unlike modern kangaroos, S. maddocki was not a fast hopper but likely moved with a deliberate, upright gait using its tail for balance. Adults reached about 2 meters in height, had a shoulder height of 1.4 meters, and a length of around 2.8 meters, with an estimated weight of 150–200 kilograms. Its robust jaw and broad muzzle indicate a diet of leaves and shoots from dry forest and scrub environments.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
180
1.6
2.5
2.5
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Omnivores – Balanced
Hunt History
Early Aboriginal Australians likely hunted Simosthenurus maddocki for meat and hides using coordinated drives and fire to flush them from woodlands. Evidence suggests these kangaroos were part of the larger wave of megafaunal extinctions that coincided with both human arrival and climatic drying in Australia’s late Pleistocene.
Archaeological Evidence:
Lake Menindee, New South Wales — Fossil remains dated to about 45,000 years ago, associated with early human occupation sites.
Naracoorte Caves, South Australia — Partial skeletons preserved in cave deposits dating between 40,000–50,000 years ago.
Cuddie Springs, New South Wales — Stone tools and Simosthenurus bones found in the same layers, around 36,000 years ago, indicating possible human interaction.
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
kg
Targeted Organs
Visceral & subcutaneous
Adipose Depots
Visceral/subcutaneous (general)
Preferred Cuts
Visceral depot
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
3