Giant kangaroo twice the size of a human roamed Australia 5 million years ago, study reveals [Video]

07:21 EDT 16 Apr 2024 , updated 07:57 EDT 16 Apr 2024

Australia might be famous for its unusual and dangerous wildlife, but five million years ago scientists say things would have been even stranger. 

Giant kangaroos – some more than twice the size of a human – roamed the country for millions of years, a new study has found.

Researchers from Flinders University have uncovered three new species of giant fossil kangaroo which spread from the deserts of Australia to the jungles of New Guinea. 

The largest species, Protenmodon viator, weighed up to 170kg (375 lbs) and would have travelled central Australia on its long limbs. 

Dr Isaac Kerr, lead author of the study, says: ‘Living kangaroos are already such remarkable animals, so it’s amazing to think what these peculiar giant kangaroos could have been getting up to.’