Yurlunggur

Name: Yurlunggur ‭(‬After the Rainbow serpent‭)‬.
Phonetic: Yur-lun-ger.
Named By: J.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Scanlon‭ ‬-‭ ‬1992.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Squamata,‭ ‬Serpentes,‭ ‬Madtsoiidae.
Species: Y.‭ ‬camfieldensis‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Up to‭ ‬6‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Australia,‭ ‬Northern Territory‭ ‬-‭ ‬Bullock Creek.
Time period: Serravallian of the Miocene.
Fossil representation: Several specimens including a complete skull and mandible‭ (‬lower jaw‭)‬.





Go to pages --> Gigantophis, Titanoboa, Wonambi, Yurlunggur.

       Along with Wonambi,‭ ‬Yurlunggur is another representative of the madtsoiid group of prehistoric snakes.‭ ‬Yurlunggur was a constrictor which means it coiled around its prey and squeezing it to death.‭ ‬One thing that makes Yurlunggur stand out from other snakes related to it‭ ‬is the fact it has perhaps one‭ ‬of the most completely preserved skulls so far recovered.‭ ‬This skull came from a fresh water area,‭ ‬suggesting that Yurlunggur may have lurked in the water while hunting its prey.

Further reading
- A new large madtsoiid snake from the Miocene of the Northern Territory. - The Beagle, Records of the Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences 9(1):49-60. - J. D. Scanlon - 1992.

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