The Phascolarctidae (''φάσκωλος (phaskolos)'' - pouch or bag, ''ἄρκτος (arktos)'' - bear, from the Greek ''phascolos'' + ''arctos'' meaning pouched bear) is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

marsupials Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

of the order

Diprotodontia Diprotodontia (, from Greek "two forward teeth") is the largest extant order of marsupials, with about 155 species, including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koala, wombats, and many others. Extinct diprotodonts include the hippopotamus-sized ...

, consisting of only one extant species, the

koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...

, and six well-known fossil species, with another five less well known fossil species, and two fossil species of the genus ''Koobor'', whose taxonomy is debatable but are placed in this group. The closest relatives of the Phascolarctidae are the

wombat Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials that are native to Australia. They are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . All three of the extant species are members of the family Vombatidae. They are ad ...

s, which comprise the family Vombatidae. The fossil record of the family dates back to the

Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million ...

Late Oligocene The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/ Series. It spans the time between . The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian (the lowest stage ...

Classification

Family Phascolarctidae * Genus '' Nimiokoala'' **

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). Along with species o ...

- ''Nimiokoala greystanesi'' * Genus '' Invictokoala'' **''Invictokoala monticola'' * Genus ''

Madakoala ''Madakoala'' is a genus of extinct phascolarctid marsupials with three known species, ''Madakoala devisi,'' ''Madakoala wellsi'' ''and'' ''Madakoala robustus''. It is allied to extinct genera '' Invictokoala, Koobor, Litokoala, Nimiokoala, ...

'' **''Madakoala robustus'' **''Madakoala wellsi'' **''Madakoala devisi'' * Genus ''

Litokoala ''Litokoala'' is an extinct genus of marsupials, and along with '' Nimiokoala'', is closely related to the modern koala. The three genera may have diverged at an earlier date, although the drying of the continent and the expansion of ''Eucalyptus ...

'' **''Litokoala garyjohnstoni'' **''Litokoala kutjamarpensis'' **''Litokoala kanunkaensis'' * Genus '' Koobor'' **''Koobor jimbarrati'' **''Koobor notabilis'' * Genus '' Perikoala'' **''Perikoala palankarinnica'' **''Perikoala robustus'' * Genus '' Phascolarctos'' **''Phascolarctos maris'' **

Koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...

- ''Phascolarctos cinereus'' ** Giant koala - ''Phascolarctos stirtoni'' *''Phascolarctos yorkensis'' (formerly ''Cundokoala yorkensis'') * Genus ''

Priscakoala ''Priscakoala'' is an extinct genus of koala from the Early Miocene of Riversleigh, Australia. As cited in It has one species: ''Priscakoala lucyturnbullae''. The prefix "''prisca''" comes from the Latin meaning old, ancient, primeval or prim ...

'' **''Priscakoala lucyturnbullae''

References

External links

Vombatiforms Koalas Extant Chattian first appearances Mammal families {{Diprotodont-stub