Nimbacinus

The genus Nimbacinus contains two species of carnivorous, quadrupedal marsupials in Australia both of which are extinct:

• Nimbacinus dicksoni Muirhead & Archer, 1990^[1]
• Nimbacinus peterbridgei Churchill, Archer & Hand, 2024^[3]

Nimbacinus Temporal range: 26–12 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene
Skull and mandible of N. dicksoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Dasyuromorphia
Family:	†Thylacinidae
Genus:	†Nimbacinus Muirhead & Archer, 1990
Type species
Nimbacinus dicksoni Muirhead & Archer, 1990[1]
Other species
†N. peterbridgei Churchill, Archer & Hand, 2024
Synonyms
Nimbacinus richi Murray & Megirian, 2000[2]

Life restoration

Like all thylacinids, Nimbacinus dicksoni was a dog-like marsupial, though its smaller size makes its appearance more comparable to that of a fox. Unlike its relatives, its jaws were likely strong enough for it to take down prey larger than itself.^[4]

The name of the genus combines Nimba and cinus, derived from a word meaning "little" in the Wanyi language, indigenous peoples associated with the Riversleigh fossil site, and the Ancient Greek word kynos, meaning dog.^[1]

Taxonomy

The description of N. richi was published in 2000 by researchers Peter F. Murray, working at the Museum of Central Australia and Dirk Megirian of the Northern Territory Museum.^[5] The holotype is fossilised material excavated at "Top Site" at the Bullock Creek fossil area, a partial left dentary with a premolar and several molars that is dated to the mid-Miocene. The specific epithet commemorates Tom Rich, who introduced the authors to the site of their discovery.^[5]