ROUS's? I don't believe they exist.

I AM the brute squad.

My name is Inigo Montoya.

Ha. call that Mega-fauna? I'll show you Mega-fauna (pulls adult Diprodoton out of back pocket)

I meant Diprotodon of course...

Yabbut the "standard" example of Diprotodon is a wombat, which is about the size of an small esky, so a Volkswagen sized esky isn't such a leap. But a Volkswagen sized rat is a whole nother thing.

Haven't you seen the big rat in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Sheesh!

John, you can't be Inigo Montoya. My father is still alive.

As for the rat, on the BBC World Service this morning (err, morning our time), they said it was a vegetarian. I got this image of a huge rat idly chewing its way along a swathe of tropical forest.

Bob

Wait, I know something you don't know... or rather, the article says something you didn't read. They're comparing it to a capybara, rather than a rat. Which is rather like the wombat/diprodoton comparison.

Although everything is obviously bigger and better in SE Queensland, if John has an Esky the size of a wombat.

Shhh... you're ruining the moment :-)

Incidentally, congrats on handing in. Are you assessed yet?

Wuv. TWOO wuv. That bwessed awwangement....

The new critter is called Josephoartigasia monesi (which isn't as bad as Parapropalaehoplophorus septentrionalis for a name) and the paper describing it is up over at Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Shhh... you're ruining the moment :-)

Shhh... you're ruining the moment :-)
Do you mean to say, Dr. Wilkins, that you played fast and loose with the truth to make your argument seem stronger? I'm shocked! I thought philosophers (excepting christian philosophers) were honor bound to tell the truth without fudging. ;-)

Thanks, John. I'm not assessed yet: the wheels grind slow, but they grind exceedingly small, etc.