Nimbadon

Nimbadon
Temporal range: 25–12 Ma
Composite N. lavarackorum skeleton from the Riversleigh site
N. lavarackorum mother and juvenile (reconstruction) by Peter Schouten
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Superfamily: †Diprotodontoidea
Genus: †Nimbadon
Hand, Archer, Godthelp, Rich & Pledge, 1993.
Species

†Nimbadon lavarackorum
†Nimbadon scottorrorum
†Nimbadon whitelawi

Nimbadon is an extinct genus of marsupial, that lived from the Oligocene to the Miocene. Many fossils have been found in the Riversleigh World Heritage property in north-western Queensland, Australia. It is thought to have an arboreal lifestyle.

In 1990, skulls were unearthed in a previously unknown cave in the region. Researchers estimate that the first species of Nimbadon first appeared around 25 million years ago and went extinct around 12 million years ago, perhaps from climate change-induced habitat loss.

Description

Nimbadon lavarackorum is described as being koala-like. It is known from at least 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.

Phylogeny

While originally classified as a member of the family Diprotodontidae, a primarily terrestrial group, some later studies suggested a more basal position within the Diprotodontoidea.

Palaeoecology

N. lavarackorum was an arboreal frugivore that primarily fed on C3 fruits.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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. Archived from the original on 8 November 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Black, Karen H.; Camens, Aaron B.; Archer, Michael; Hand, Suzanne J. (21 November 2012). Evans, Alistair Robert (ed.). "Herds Overhead: Nimbadon lavarackorum (Diprotodontidae), Heavyweight Marsupial Herbivores in the Miocene Forests of Australia". PLOS ONE. 7 (11) e48213. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...748213B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048213. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3504027. PMID 23185250.
  3. ↑ Ancient tree-wombat behaved like a koala Archived 11 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine - By Anna Salleh - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  4. ↑ Beck, Robin M. D.; Louys, Julien; Brewer, Philippa; Archer, Michael; Black, Karen H.; Tedford, Richard H. (25 June 2020). "A new family of diprotodontian marsupials from the latest Oligocene of Australia and the evolution of wombats, koalas, and their relatives (Vombatiformes)". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 9741. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.9741B. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66425-8. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7316786. PMID 32587406.
  5. ↑ DeSantis, Larisa R. G.; Archer, Michael; Black, Karen; Hand, Suzanne; Korasidis, Vera (2 October 2023). "Tree-climbing in search of fruit: an ancient arboreal marsupial megafrugivore from the Miocene of Australia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 47 (4): 534–542. doi:10.1080/03115518.2023.2268680. hdl:1959.4/unsworks_84887. ISSN 0311-5518. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024 – via Taylor and Francis Online.