The first recorded Diprotodon remains were discovered in a cave near Wellington, New South Wales, in the early 1830s by bushman George Ranken and Major Thomas Mitchell; the latter sent them to England for study by Sir Richard Owen.
In the 1840s, Ludwig Leichhardt discovered many Diprotodon bones eroding from the banks of creeks in the Darling Downs of Queensland, and when reporting the find to Owen, commented that the remains were so well preserved, he expected to find living examples in the then-unexplored central regions of Australia.

The majority of fossil finds are of demographic groups indicative of diprotodonts dying in drought conditions.
For example, hundreds of individuals were found in Lake Callabonna with well-preserved lower bodies, but crushed and distorted heads.
Several family groups are thought to have sunk in mud while crossing the drying lake bed.
Other finds consist of age groupings of young or old animals, which are first to die during a drought.

In 2012, a significant group of about 40 was found at Eulo, south-west Queensland.
The first recorded Diprotodon remains were discovered in a cave near Wellington, New South Wales, in the early 1830s by bushman George Ranken and Major Thomas Mitchell; the latter sent them to England for study by Sir Richard Owen. In the 1840s, Ludwig Leichhardt discovered many Diprotodon bones eroding from the banks of creeks in the Darling Downs of Queensland, and when reporting the find to Owen, commented that the remains were so well preserved, he expected to find living examples in the then-unexplored central regions of Australia.
The majority of fossil finds are of demographic groups indicative of diprotodonts dying in drought conditions. For example, hundreds of individuals were found in Lake Callabonna with well-preserved lower bodies, but crushed and distorted heads. Several family groups are thought to have sunk in mud while crossing the drying lake bed. Other finds consist of age groupings of young or old animals, which are first to die during a drought.
In 2012, a significant group of about 40 was found at Eulo, south-west Queensland.
Diprotodon