Prehistoric claw marks inside a Western Australian cave have helped Adelaide scientists find out more about an animal that before going extinct was Australia’s top predator.

For 150 years scientists have been trying to learn more about the marsupial lion that roamed the continent more than 40,000 years ago.

Otherwise known as a Thylacoleo carnifex, the Australian marsupial lion weighed between 80 and 100 kilograms and was believed to have powerful jaws and large, sharp claws.

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Flinders University palaeontologist Gavin Prideaux said he now knew the mammal was a fierce predator, much like a lion or a hyena in other parts of the world.

Flinders University palaeontology researchers Gavin Prideaux and Samuel Arman. Photo: Flinders University

“Most people don’t even know they exist, yet we had this really extraordinary, carnivorous animal, top predator in Australia that suddenly we’ve shed some more light on,” he said.

“This is a uniquely Australian animal … the most important thing for me about this was they were here when people first arrived and they lived with people for about 10,000 years, so it’s interesting to imagine what kind of interactions would have occurred then.

“Debate about this animal’s gone round and round and round and round based on the skeletons for 150 years. Now, we’ve got a completely new line of evidence providing insights into its behaviour that you wouldn’t have thought you’d be able to get if you hadn’t travelled back in time.”

Professor Prideaux, with fellow researcher Sam Arman, has released a paper revealing two new aspects of the marsupial lion – they were excellent climbers and reared their young in caves.

Many of the claw marks found inside the Tight Entrance Cave in Margaret River were up to three metres from the cave floor on steep surfaces.

Not only has the process shed more light on the once-mysterious mammal, but the researchers have also found a new way to analyse trace fossils, including footprints and scratches.

Other people are studying similar claw marks and skeletons, also believed to be from the marsupial lion, in a Naracoorte cave.

The marsupial lion roamed Australia more than 40,000 years ago. Photo: Flinders University

–ABC