Nimbadon

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

Nimbadon is an extinct genus of 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.

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.

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