Riversleigh

Riversleigh in the northwest of the Australian state of Queensland is one of the most important fossil sites in Australia and since 1994 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The area covers about 100 km ². It is an important archaeological site for fossils of mammals of the Oligocene and Miocene and is part of Boodjamulla National Park.

The fossils at Riversleigh are enclosed in limestone that formed in calcareous freshwater pools and caves, as the ecosystem of the rainforest turned into a semi-arid grassland. 35 fossil species of bats were detected here, which is a world record. The skull and nearly complete dentition of 15 million years old cesspool animal Obdurodon thick soni are an important link in the evolution of these only Australia and New Guinea occurring order. Rare fossils from the family of the extinct wolf bag were detected in Riversleigh.

Fossil finds

  • Yalkaparidon, a bizarre marsupial
  • Ekaltadeta, a carnivorous rat kangaroo
  • Silvabestius, a Riesenwombat
  • " Fangaroo ", a kangaroo with fangs
  • Wakaleo, a marsupial lion
  • Priscileo, a marsupial lion
  • Fossils of Bergbilchbeutlers
  • Nimbacinus, a forerunner of the bag wolf
  • Obdurodon, a giant platypus
  • Brachipposideros, a leaf-nosed bat
  • Nimiokoala, a koala
  • Yarala, a bandicoot
  • Paljara, a small possum
  • Menura tyawanoides, a prehistoric lyrebird
  • The first fossil evidence of Orthonychidae family
  • Trilophosuchus, a crocodile
  • Baru, a crocodile
  • Montypythonoides ( = Morelia), the Riversleigh Python
  • Yurlunggur, Nanowana and Wonambi, extinct snakes of the family ( Madtsoiidae )
Boodjamulla-Nationalpark Desert climate Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Microbat Thingodonta Mountain pygmy possum Riversleigh rainforest koala Australian Convict Sites Blue Mountains (New South Wales) Carlton Gardens Tasmanian Wilderness Naracoorte-Caves-Nationalpark Kakadu-Nationalpark Ningaloo Reef Royal Exhibition Building Shark Bay
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