Nimbadon

Nimbadon
Temporal range: Miocene
Composite N. lavarackorum skeleton from the Riversleigh site
N. lavarackorum mother and juvenile (reconstruction)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Suborder: Vombatiformes
Family: †Ilariidae
Genus: †Nimbadon
Hand, Archer, Godthelp, Rich & Pledge, 1993
Species

†N. lavarackorum
†N. scottorrorum
†N. whitelawi

Nimbadon is an extinct genus of the family Ilariidae, from the suborder Vombatiformes, and order Diprotodontia that lived in the Miocene epoch. Many fossils have been found in the Riversleigh World Heritage property in north-western Queensland.

In 1990, skulls were unearthed in a previously unknown cave in the region. Researchers estimate that Nimbadon first appeared about 15 million years ago and died out about 12 million years ago, perhaps from climate change-induced habitat loss.[1]

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.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Fossils reveal prehistoric life cycle Archived 2011-03-15 at the Wayback Machine., Australian Geographic, July 20, 2010
  2. ↑ Ancient tree-wombat behaved like a koala - By Anna Salleh - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Retrieved 22 November 2012.


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