Overview
- A peer-reviewed paper in Scientific Reports on January 22, 2026 reassesses how Ice Age macropods moved using a biomechanical approach.
- Researchers analyzed 94 modern and 40 fossil hindlimb specimens representing 63 kangaroo and wallaby species to estimate tendon size and bone strength.
- Findings show robust metatarsals and broad calcanei in giant species—including Procoptodon goliah, estimated up to about 250 kilograms—were consistent with withstanding hopping loads.
- The results challenge earlier scaling-based studies that argued hopping was mechanically impossible above roughly 150 to 330 kilograms.
- Authors conclude hopping was likely intermittent and inefficient over distance due to thicker, less elastic tendons, serving for short bursts such as predator escape or traversing rough terrain.