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Home : Naracoorte Caves National Park : Wonambi Fossil Centre : The Animals : Extinct Animals : Wonambi naracoortensis

Extinct Animals : Wonambi naracoortensis

Wonambi naracoortensis

Class: Reptilia
Subclass: Lepidosauria
Order: Squamata
Family: Madtsoiidae
Genus & Species: Wonambi naracoortensis

The 5 metre snake Wonambi naracoortensis was first described from fossils at Naracoorte, and was the first extinct snake to be described from Australia.

The name Wonambi comes from the Aboriginal name for giant rainbow serpents that inhabited sacred waterholes and enforced sacred law. 

Model of Wonambi naracoortensis crushing a wallaby in its coils

This snake would have killed by wrapping its body around its prey and slowly tightening the coils until the animal suffocated.

Its skull was comparatively small and it would have taken small to medium sized prey, mostly mammals.

The skull of Wonambi naracoortensis was relatively small

Scientists recognised early that Wonambi was related to the more ancient and even larger extinct madtsoiid snakes which had been found in the fossil record of South America and Africa.

More remains of madtsoiids have since been found in Australia, notably at Riversleigh in Queensland including a smaller version of Wonambi. 

Partially-excavated skeleton Click on picture to enlarge (122Kb)

Fossilised remains of madtsoiid snakes have now been found on nearly every continent that once was part of the supercontinent, Gondwana.

They became extinct on all other continents around 55 million years ago, but continued to diversify in Australia.

Wonambi naracoortensis was the last of this ancient lineage and died out within the last 50,000 years ago.