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

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

marsupials Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a ...

of the order

Diprotodontia Diprotodontia (, from Greek language, Greek "two forward teeth") is the largest extant order (biology), order of marsupials, with about 155 species, including the kangaroos, Wallaby, wallabies, Phalangeriformes, possums, koala, wombats, and many ...

, consisting of only one extant species, the

koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

, and six well-known fossil species, with another six 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 of the family Vombatidae that are native to Australia. Living species are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . They are adaptable and habitat tolerant, and are ...

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 (geology), epoch made up of two Stage (stratigraphy), stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0. ...

Late Oligocene The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale The geologic time scale or geological time scale (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the pro ...

Classification

Family Phascolarctidae * Genus ''

Nimiokoala ''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 ''Nimiokoal ...

'' **'' 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, Pe ...

'' **''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 '' Lumakoala'' **''Lumakoala blackae'' * Genus ''

Koobor ''Koobor'' is an extinct genus of extinct phascolarctid marsupials Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' u ...

'' **''Koobor jimbarrati'' **''Koobor notabilis'' * Genus ''

Perikoala ''Perikoala'' is an extinct genus of marsupials, related to the modern koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only ...

'' **''Perikoala palankarinnica'' **''Perikoala robustus'' * Genus ''

Phascolarctos ''Phascolarctos'' is a genus of marsupials with one extant species, the koala '' Phascolarctos cinereus'', an iconic animal of Australia. Several extinct species of the genus are known from fossil material, these were also large tree dwellers tha ...

'' **''Phascolarctos maris'' **

Koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

- ''Phascolarctos cinereus'' **

Giant koala The giant koala (''Phascolarctos stirtoni'') is an extinct arboreal marsupial which existed in Australia during the Pleistocene epoch. ''Phascolarctos stirtoni'' was about one-third larger than the contemporary koala, ''P. cinereus'', and has an ...

- ''Phascolarctos stirtoni'' **''Phascolarctos yorkensis'' (formerly ''Cundokoala yorkensis'') * Genus '' Priscakoala'' **''Priscakoala lucyturnbullae'' * Genus '' Stelakoala'' **'' Stelakoala riversleighensis''

References

External links

Vombatiforms Koalas Extant Chattian first appearances Mammal families Taxa named by Richard Owen {{Diprotodont-stub