Wonambi
Encyclopedia
Wonambi is a genus
that consisted of two species of very large snake
s. These species were not pythons, like Australia's other large constrictors of the genus Morelia, and are now a member of an extinct family Madtsoiidae
. This genus was a part of the extinct megafauna of Australia
.
is Wonambi naracoortensis, a five to six metre long snake
; the only other known species is Wonambi barriei.
. Rather than using venom, the animal would kill its prey by constriction
. The head of the animal was small, restricting the size of its prey.
, the first extinct snake to be found in Australia.
It was given the name Wonambi from the description, by the local Aboriginal people, of a serpent
of the Dreamtime
. This serpent, a mythological being commonly referred to by both Aboriginal people and Europeans as the Rainbow Serpent
, were often held responsible for the creation of major features of the landscape. The Wagyl
of the Western Australian Noongar
people is thought to correlate to the South Australian people's Wonambi.
The family of this species, Madtsoiidae, became extinct in other parts of the world around 55 million years ago, but new species continued to evolve in Australia. These species are the last known to have existed, becoming extinct in the last 50,000 years.
Ice Age
period, in natural sun-traps beside local waterholes, where they would ambush kangaroo
, wallaby
and other prey coming to the water to drink. For this reason, children were forbidden in Aboriginal culture to play at such places, and only allowed to visit when accompanied by an adult. Mapping such locations in Western Australia, has been found to be closely associated with areas the Noongar
people regard as Waugal sacred sites.
Tim Flannery
claims that this animal, along with other Australian megafauna
, became extinct (partly) as a result of activities of the Australian Aborigines (for example firestick farming).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
that consisted of two species of very large snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s. These species were not pythons, like Australia's other large constrictors of the genus Morelia, and are now a member of an extinct family Madtsoiidae
Madtsoiidae
Madtsoiidae are an extinct group of mostly Gondwanan snakes with a fossil record extending from early Cenomanian to late Pleistocene strata located in South America, Africa, India, Australia and Southern Europe...
. This genus was a part of the extinct megafauna of Australia
Australian megafauna
Australian megafauna are a number of large animal species in Australia, often defined as species with body mass estimates of greater than 30 kilograms, or equal to or greater than 30% greater body mass than their closest living relatives...
.
Diversity
The type speciesType species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Wonambi naracoortensis, a five to six metre long snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
; the only other known species is Wonambi barriei.
Description
Wonambi seems to have been an ambush predatorAmbush predator
Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture prey by stealth or cunning, not by speed or necessarily by strength. These organisms usually hide motionless and wait for prey to come within striking distance. They are often camouflaged, and may be solitary...
. Rather than using venom, the animal would kill its prey by constriction
Constriction
Constriction is a method used by various snake species to kill their prey. Although some species of venomous and mildly-venomous snakes do use constriction to subdue their prey, most snakes which use constriction lack venom. The snake initially strikes at its prey and holds on, pulling the prey...
. The head of the animal was small, restricting the size of its prey.
Taxonomy and naming
Wonambi naracoortensis was first described from fossils collected at Naracoorte, South AustraliaNaracoorte, South Australia
Naracoorte is a town in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, approximately 336 kilometres south east of Adelaide and 100 kilometres north of Mount Gambier on the Riddoch Highway .-History:...
, the first extinct snake to be found in Australia.
It was given the name Wonambi from the description, by the local Aboriginal people, of a serpent
Rainbow Serpent
The Rainbow Serpent is a common motif in the art and mythology of Aboriginal Australia. It is named for the snake-like meandering of water across a landscape and the colour spectrum caused when sunlight strikes water at an appropriate angle relative to the observer.The Rainbow Serpent is seen as...
of the Dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
. This serpent, a mythological being commonly referred to by both Aboriginal people and Europeans as the Rainbow Serpent
Rainbow Serpent
The Rainbow Serpent is a common motif in the art and mythology of Aboriginal Australia. It is named for the snake-like meandering of water across a landscape and the colour spectrum caused when sunlight strikes water at an appropriate angle relative to the observer.The Rainbow Serpent is seen as...
, were often held responsible for the creation of major features of the landscape. The Wagyl
Wagyl
The Wagyl is, according to Noongar culture, a snakelike dreamtime creature responsible for the creation of the Swan and Canning Rivers and other waterways and landforms around present day Perth and the south-west of Western AustraliaA superior being, the Rainbow Serpent created the universe and...
of the Western Australian Noongar
Noongar
The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
people is thought to correlate to the South Australian people's Wonambi.
The family of this species, Madtsoiidae, became extinct in other parts of the world around 55 million years ago, but new species continued to evolve in Australia. These species are the last known to have existed, becoming extinct in the last 50,000 years.
Ecology
Wonambi naracoortensis lived during the PleistocenePleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
period, in natural sun-traps beside local waterholes, where they would ambush kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
, wallaby
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
and other prey coming to the water to drink. For this reason, children were forbidden in Aboriginal culture to play at such places, and only allowed to visit when accompanied by an adult. Mapping such locations in Western Australia, has been found to be closely associated with areas the Noongar
Noongar
The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
people regard as Waugal sacred sites.
Tim Flannery
Tim Flannery
Timothy Fridtjof Flannery is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist and global warming activist....
claims that this animal, along with other Australian megafauna
Australian megafauna
Australian megafauna are a number of large animal species in Australia, often defined as species with body mass estimates of greater than 30 kilograms, or equal to or greater than 30% greater body mass than their closest living relatives...
, became extinct (partly) as a result of activities of the Australian Aborigines (for example firestick farming).