Riversleigh

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Riversleigh, in North West Queensland, is a 100 km² area containing fossil remains of ancient mammals of the Oligocene and Miocene. It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1994 and is an extension of the Lawn Hill National Park.

Riversleigh is one of Australia's most renowned fossil sites.

Fossils at Riversleigh are encased in limestone formed in lime-rich freshwater pools and caves as the ecosystem evolved from a rich rainforest community to semi-arid grasslands. Thirty-five fossil bat species have been identified at the site, which is the richest in the world. The skull and nearly complete dentition of a fifteen million-year-old monotreme, Obdurodon dicksoni , provide a window into the evolution of this characteristically Australian group. Rare fossils of the marsupial thylacines, ancestors of the recently-extinct Thylacinus cynocephalus, the "Tasmanian Tiger", have been identified from Riversleigh's Oligo-Miocene fauna.

[edit] Creatures of Riversleigh

Mammals

• Yalkaparidon, a bizarre marsupial
• Ekaltadeta, a carnivorous rat kangaroo
• Silvabestius, a giant wombat
• "Fangaroo", a fanged kangaroo
• Wakaleo, a marsupial lion
• Priscileo, a marsupial lion
• Burramys, the mountain pygmy possum
• Nimbacinus, a precursor of the Tasmanian wolf
• Obdurodon, a giant platypus
• Brachipposideros, a leaf-nosed bat
• Nimiokoala, an ancient koala
• Yarala, a tube-nosed bandicoot
• Paljara, a small woolly ringtail possum

Birds

• Pengana, a flexible-footed bird of prey
• Cockatoo
• The first fossil record of the Orthonychidae (logrunner) family

Reptiles

• Trilophosuchus, a tree-dwelling crocodile
• Baru, the cleaver-headed crocodile

[edit] External links

• UNESCO site with information on Riversleigh, Australia
• Australian site about Riversleigh
• World Heritage: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites
• Information about fossils from Riversleigh, Australian Museum
• The Riversleigh Society supports scientific research at Riversleigh

[edit] Reference

• Archer, M. et al 1991. Riversleigh: the Story of Australia's Inland Rainforests, (Sydney: Reed Books).