Prehistoric Australian vultures and eagles brought to life in ‘gory’ new painting

‘There’s a Diprotodon … being worked at by rip-tearing birds of prey.’ Artist John Barrie used new palaeontological discoveries to reconstruct Pleioscene-era Naracoorte. Illustration: John Barrie

Ancient birds of prey feast on the carcass of a giant wombat-like creature; a committee of vultures waits its turn while a huge eagle feeds strips of bloody flesh to its chick.

Flinders University researchers have discovered new details of these Pleistocene-era raptors, and their findings have been brought to life in a beautiful, “gory” painting.