Wonambi

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Wonambi Temporal range: Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Wonambi naracoortensis and Thylacoleo
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	†Madtsoiidae
Genus:	†Wonambi
Type species
Wonambi naracoortensis Smith, 1976
Species
†Wonambi barriei Scanlon, 2000 †Wonambi naracoortensis Smith, 1976

Wonambi is an extinct genus of madtsoiid snakes that lived in late Neogene to late Quaternary Australia. Species of Wonambi were constrictor snakes unrelated to Australian pythons.

Taxonomy and naming

Wonambi naracoortensis was first described from fossils collected at Naracoorte, South Australia, the first extinct snake to be found in Australia.^[1]

It was given the name Wonambi from the description, by the local

Wonambi was a fairly large snake, with the type species (W. naracoortensis) exceeding 4–6 m (13–20 ft) long and the other species (W. barriei) reaching less than 3 m (9.8 ft) long.[2]^[3] It was a non-venomous, constrictor snake, and may have been an ambush predator that killed its prey by constriction. The head of the animal was small, restricting the size of its prey.

Paleoecology

Wonambi naracoortensis lived during the Pleistocene 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. Mapping such locations in Western Australia, has been found to be closely associated with areas the Noongar people regard as Waugal sacred sites.^{[citation needed]}

• Australian megafauna

References