Silvabestius

Silvabestius is an extinct genus of marsupial dating to the Early Miocene. They were grazing animals about the size of a modern sheep.

This animal is known from two skulls found close together which have come to be known as the "Madonna and Child" fossils.^[1]

This is proven as the skull size was about 25 cm long. The Silvabestius is 1 metre in length. The Silvabestius was a herbivore which browsed on soft plant matter such as leaves and stems. Silvabestius lived in an environment that largely consisted of tropical rainforests. The Silvabestius has close living relatives that exist now such as koalas and wombats which are found in Australia. The Silvabestius is in the extinct family called the Diprotodontidae and is therefore closely related to the giant marsupial Diprotodon. Two well preserved fossils were found belonging to a Silvabestius; these fossils were two skulls believed to be a mother and child, found in Riversleigh, Queensland, Australia. The two skulls were found extremely close together. The baby is believed to have been in the mother's pouch when they died.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Hulitherium
• Neohelos
• Zygomaturus
• Kolopsis

References

1. ↑ SILVABESTIUS. Accessed May 14, 2008.

• Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (Life of the Past) by Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas Hewitt Rich, Francesco Coffa, and Steven Morton
• Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One Hundred Million Years of Evolution by John A. Long, Michael Archer, Timothy Flannery, and Suzanne Hand