Nimbadon
| Nimbadon Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Composite N. lavarackorum skeleton from the Riversleigh site | |
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| N. lavarackorum mother and juvenile (reconstruction) by Peter Schouten | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | †Diprotodontidae |
| Genus: | †Nimbadon Hand, Archer, Godthelp, Rich & Pledge, 1993.[1] |
| Species | |
|
†Nimbadon lavarackorum | |
Nimbadon is an extinct genus of diprotodont marsupial, that lived from the Late Oligocene to the Miocene epoches.[1] Many fossils have been found in the Riversleigh World Heritage property in north-western Queensland. Unlike most members of the family, it is thought to have an arboreal, rather than terrestrial lifestyle.
In 1990, skulls were unearthed in a previously unknown cave in the region. Researchers estimate that the first species of Nimbadon first appeared about 25 million years ago[1] and died out about 12 million years ago, perhaps from climate change-induced habitat loss.[2]
Nimbadon lavarackorum
Nimbadon lavarackorum is described as being koala-like. It is known from as many as 24 well-articulated specimens. The species was a tree-dweller, mainly feeding on stems and leaves. The feet and claws were large, being superficially similar to those of the koala. They retracted their claws when walking.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Hand, S.J.; Archer, M.; Godthelp, H.; Rich, T.H.; Pledge, N.S. (1993). "Nimbadon, a new genus and three new species of Tertiary zygomaturines (Marsupialia: Diprotodontidae) from northern Australia, with a reassessment of Neohelos". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 33: 193–210.
- ^ Fossils reveal prehistoric life cycle Archived 2011-03-15 at the Wayback Machine, Australian Geographic, July 20, 2010
- ^ Ancient tree-wombat behaved like a koala - By Anna Salleh - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Retrieved 22 November 2012.
External links
- Australias lost kingdoms, Nimbodon.
- Black K. H. and Hand. S 2010., Nimbadon crania and species boundaries, American Museum novitates, no. 3678
- KAREN H. BLACK,* MICHAEL ARCHER, SUZANNE J. HAND, and HENK GODTHELP FIRST COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF CRANIAL ONTOGENY IN A FOSSIL MARSUPIAL—FROM A 15-MILLION-YEAR-OLD CAVE DEPOSIT IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
- "Cave yields marsupial fossil haul". BBC News. 2010-07-19.
- "Giant tree wombat discovery wins science prize" ABC News 2012-05-03
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