Macropus
Genus of marsupials
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Macropus, from the Ancient Greek words μακρός (makrós), meaning "long", and πούς (pous), meaning "foot", is a marsupial genus in the family Macropodidae. It has two extant species of large terrestrial kangaroos. Thirteen known extinct species are recognised. The type species is the eastern grey kangaroo.
| Macropus[1] Temporal range: Miocene - Present | |
|---|---|
| |
| Eastern grey kangaroo | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Macropodidae |
| Subfamily: | Macropodinae |
| Genus: | Macropus Shaw, 1790 |
| Type species | |
| Macropus giganteus Shaw, 1790 | |
Taxonomy
In 2019, a reassessment of macropod taxonomy determined that Osphranter and Notamacropus, formerly considered subgenera, should be moved to the genus level.[2] This change was accepted by the Australian Faunal Directory in 2020.[3]
Extant Species
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) |  |
 | Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) |  |
Fossils
A currently-unnamed Pleistocene Macropus species from Australia was the largest kangaroo ever, with an estimated mass of around 274 kg (~604 lb).[4]
- †Macropus dryas
- †Macropus gouldi
- †Macropus narada
- †Macropus piltonensis
- †Macropus rama
- †Macropus woodsi
- †Macropus pavana
- †Macropus thor
- †Macropus ferragus
- †Macropus mundjabus
- †Macropus pan
- †Macropus pearsoni
- †Macropus titan (or †Macropus giganteus titan)
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