Explore the wonders of the ancient past with the 2014 Thylacoleo 1 oz Silver Proof coin from the Perth Mint’s Australian Megafauna series.

The fourth coin in the collection, the Thylacoleo is composed of .999 pure silver and has been struck in stunning proof quality.

The reverse of each coin features a pair of Thylacoleo — the largest marsupial carnivore of its time. It climbed trees with semi-opposable thumbs and caught its prey using large claws and massive shearing teeth.

The ancient lions are shown in brilliant silver against a colorized background, the delicate rainbow indicating the dawn of a new day. A plump and fluffy cub peers curiously over the back of its long-tailed mother as she climbs a dark-brown branch. Around the rim is the creature’s name — THYLACOLEO — and 1 oz 999 SILVER, as well as the Perth mint mark, P.

The obverse features Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of the Queen. She looks off to the right in her filigree crown. The words ELIZABETH II, AUSTRALIA 2014 and 1 DOLLAR circle the rim.

The Thylacoleo is unlike any creature living today. It has been called the most specialized mammalian carnivore of all time. Its forelimbs were amazingly strong, allowing it to carry its prey up into a tree for safekeeping, just like a modern leopard.

The beast also had a muscular tail with specialized bones that allowed it to rock back on its hindquarters to slash and grasp giant kangaroos and the hippopotamus wombat. The Thylacoleo was a predator not to be trifled with.

The 2014 1 ounce Silver Thylacoleo joins a pantheon of incredible species from Australia’s past, including the Procoptodon, Diprotodon and Genyornis. Add this incredible Megafauna to your collection when you place your order with Provident Metals today.