Nimbadon

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]

Nimbadon Temporal range: 25–12 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Composite N. lavarackorum skeleton from the Riversleigh site
N. lavarackorum mother and juvenile (reconstruction) by Peter Schouten
Scientific classification
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 scottorrorum †Nimbadon whitelawi

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^[1] 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 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.^[3]

Phylogeny

While originally classified as a member of the family Diprotodontidae, a primarily terrestrial group,^[1][2] some later studies suggested a more basal position within the Diprotodontoidea.^[4]

Palaeoecology

N. lavarackorum was an arboreal frugivore that primarily fed on C₃ fruits.^[5]