Riversleigh rainforest koala
The Riversleigh rainforest koala (Nimiokoala greystanesi) is an extinct marsupial, closely related to the extant koala, that inhabited northwestern Queensland in the early-middle Miocene (23–16 million years ago). It is the only species assigned to the genus Nimiokoala. Along with species of sister genus Litokoala, the Riversleigh rainforest koala is the smallest representative of family Phascolarctidae. Based on cladistic analysis, Nimiokoala is one of the more basal genera of Phascolarctide. It died out due to climate change rendering the environment more arid. It probably had a more generalized diet than that of the modern species, but its exact food preferences are unknown.
| Riversleigh rainforest koala Temporal range: Early-middle Miocene | |
|---|---|
| Restoration of N. greystanesi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Phascolarctidae |
| Genus: | †Nimiokoala Black and Archer, 1997 |
| Species: | †N. greystanesi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Nimiokoala greystanesi Black and Archer, 1997 | |
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