| Nimbadon Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Composite N. lavarackorum skeleton from the Riversleigh site | |
| |
| N. lavarackorum mother and juvenile (reconstruction) by Peter Schouten | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Superfamily: | †Diprotodontoidea |
| Genus: | †Nimbadon Hand, Archer, Godthelp, Rich & Pledge, 1993.[1] |
| Species | |
|
†Nimbadon lavarackorum | |
Nimbadon is an extinct genus of marsupial, that lived from the Oligocene to the Miocene.[1] Many fossils have been found in the Riversleigh World Heritage property in north-western Queensland. It is thought to have an arboreal lifestyle.[2]
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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.