Riversleigh fauna is the collective term for any species of animal identified in fossil sites located in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area.

Faunal zones

The presence of the Riversleigh in the Oligo-Miocene has been exceptionally well preserved throughout a number of time periods. These has been classified by four "faunal zones", and may be summarised as, * Faunal Zone A (FZA):

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 ...

, a period 23.03–28.4 million years before present * Faunal Zone B (FZB):

early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to ...

, 15.97-23.03 myr * Faunal Zone C (FZC):

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. ...

, 11.608-15.97 myr * Faunal Zone D (FZD):

late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

, 5.332-11.608 myr More recent fossil specimens has also been coded to the period of deposition, *

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

(PLEIS), 0.0117-2.588 myr *

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

, noted as (HOLO) to indicate the period dated as following the Pleistocene, from the present day to 11,700 years ago.

Faunal lists

The following are incomplete lists of mammals, birds, fish, and invertebrate species and genera included in the Riversleigh fauna, according to the compilation of taxa by researchers at the University of New South Wales and Queensland (wakaleo.net). A survey of species-level taxa described in the Riversleigh Fauna in the decades of research preceding 2006, resulted in a total greater than 290 species. The fauna of Riversleigh includes

placental mammal Placental mammals ( infraclass Placentalia ) are one of the three extant subdivisions of the class Mammalia, the other two being Monotremata and Marsupialia. Placentalia contains the vast majority of extant mammals, which are partly distinguish ...

s, especially bats, and the various families of marsupials. Due to the novelty of some taxa discovered in the area, some species have been placed in tentative arrangements or unknown lineages placed as sometimes undescribed higher taxa. The Mammalia discovered at the site includes the Yingabalanaridae (weirdodonta) family, whose classification within the order is currently uncertain.

Chiroptera (Bats)

*'' Archerops annectens'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat *'' Archerops watsoni'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat *'' Brachipposideros nooraleebus'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat *'' Brevipalatus mcculloughi'' Hand 2005, a hipposiderid bat, resembling the modern orange leaf-nosed '' Rhinonicteris aurantia'' *'' Hipposideros bernardsigei'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat *'' Hipposideros winsburyorum'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat *'' Hydromops riversleighensis'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat *'' Icarops aenae'', a New Zealand short-tailed bat *'' Icarops paradox'', a New Zealand short-tailed bat *'' Leuconoe (bat)'' sp., a poorly known bat *'' Macroderma gigas'', a carnivorous bat, still living and known as the ghost bat *'' Macroderma godthelpi'', a relative of the ghost bat, that existed in the early Miocene *'' Macroderma malugara'', a relative of the ghost bat, that existed in the middle Miocene *'' Miophyllorhina riversleighensis'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat *'' Petramops creaseri'', a free tailed bat *'' Riversleigha williamsi'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat *'' Rhinonicteris tedfordi'', a microbat. *'' Taphozous sp.'', a sheath-tailed bat *'' Taphozous georgianus.'', a sheath-tailed bat *'' Xenorhinos halli'', an Old World leaf-nosed bat

Macropodiformes (Kangaroos, bettongs, potoroos and rat-kangaroos)

*'' Balbaroo'', an ancient balbarid *'' Bettongia moyesi'', a bettong *'' Bulungamaya'', an ancient member of Bulungamayinae *'' Cookeroo'', an ancient kangaroo *'' Ekaltadeta'', an extinct carnivorous member of Hypsiprymnodontidae *'' Galanarla'', an ancient balbarid *'' Ganawamaya'', an ancient balbarid *'' Ganguroo'', an ancient member of Bulungamayinae *'' Gumardee'', a member of Potoroidae *'' Hypsiprymnodon bartholomaii'', a frugivorous hypsiprymnodontid *'' Hypsiprymnodon dennisi'', a frugivorous hypsiprymnodontid *'' Hypsiprymnodon karenblackae'', a frugivorous hypsiprymnodontid *'' Hypsiprymnodon philcreaseri'', a frugivorous hypsiprymnodontid *'' Rhizosthenurus'', an ancient kangaroo *'' Wabularoo'', an ancient balbarid *'' Wakiewakie'', an ancient potoroid *'' Wanburoo'', an ancient member of Bulungamayinae *'' Wururoo'', an ancient balbarid

Phalangeriformes (Possums)

*''

Acrobates The feathertail glider (''Acrobates pygmaeus''), also known as the pygmy gliding possum, pygmy glider, pygmy phalanger, flying phalanger and flying mouse, is a species of marsupial native to eastern Australia. It is the world's smallest gliding ...

magicus'', an ancient feathertail possum *'' Acrobates macknessi'', an ancient feathertail possum *'' Archerus johntoniae'', a phalangerid possum *''

Distoechurus The feather-tailed possum (''Distoechurus pennatus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Acrobatidae. It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea. It is not to be confused with the feathertail glider, the only other species in the family ...

amplus'', an ancient feathertail possum *'' Distoechurus robustus'', an ancient feathertail possum *'' Burramys'', an extinct relative of the mountain pygmy possum *''

Cercartetus The genus ''Cercartetus'' is a group of very small possums known as pygmy possums. Four species comprise this genus, which together with the genus '' Burramys'' make up the marsupial family Burramyidae. It has occasionally been presumed that ...

'', an ancient

possum Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum ...

*'' Chunia'', an ancient possum *'' Djaludjangi'', an ancient

gliding possum There are many different types of gliding possum, sometimes referred to as :wikt:volplane, volplane possum, flying phalangers, or simply as gliders, endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Taxonomically, gliding possums occupy three genera. ''Acrobate ...

*'' Djilgaringa'', an ancient possum *'' Durudawiri'', an ancient possum *'' Ektopodon'', an ancient possum *'' Gawinga'', an ancient ringtail possum *'' Marlu'', an ancient ringtail possum *'' Onirocuscus'', an ancient

brushtail possum The brushtail possums are the members of the genus ''Trichosurus'' in the Phalangeridae, a family of marsupials. They are native to Australia (including Tasmania) and some small nearby islands. Unique among marsupials, they have shifted the hyp ...

*'' Paljara'', an ancient ringtail possum *'' Pildra'', an ancient ringtail possum *'' Strigocuscus'', an ancient possum *'' Trichosurus'', an ancient brushtail possum *'' Wyulda'', an ancient brushtail possum

Vombatiformes (Koalas, marsupial lions, wombats, etc)

*'' Kuterintja'', an extinct

marsupial 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 r ...

of the family Ilariidae *'' Lekaneleo'', a marsupial lion *'' Litokoala'', an ancient

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 ...

*'' Madakoala'', an ancient koala *'' Marada (mammal)'', a sheep-like browser *'' Microleo'', a marsupial lion *'' Namilamadeta'', an extinct marsupial of the family Wynyardiidae *'' Neohelos'', a diprotodontid sheep-like browser *'' Nimbavombatus'', an ancient wombat *'' Ngapakaldia'', a marsupial tapir *'' Nimbadon'', a sheep-like browser *'' Nimiokoala'', an ancient koala *'' Palorchestes'', a diprotodontid marsupial tapir *'' Pitikantia'', a diprotodontid *'' Propalorchestes'', a diprotodontid marsupial tapir *'' Priscakoala'', an ancient koala *'' Priscileo'', a marsupial lion *'' Rhizophascolonus'', an ancient

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 ...

*'' Silvabestius'', a diprotodontid sheep-like browser *'' Stelakoala riversleighensis'', an ancient koala *'' Wakaleo'', a marsupial lion *'' Warendja'', an ancient wombat

Peramelemorphia (Bandicoots and bilbies)

*'' Bulungu'', a mouse-sized insectivorous

bandicoot Bandicoots are a group of more than 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial, largely nocturnal marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia. They are endemic to the Australia–New Guinea region, including the Bismarck Archipela ...

*'' Crash'', a bandicoot *'' Galadi'', a carnivorous bandicoot *'' Liyamayi dayi'', an ancient bilby *'' Madju'', an ancient bandicoot *'' Yarala'', a tube-nosed bandicoot

Dasyuromorphia

*'' Badjcinus'', an ancient

thylacine The thylacine (; binomial name ''Thylacinus cynocephalus''), also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, was a carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmani ...

*'' Barinya'', a carnivorous dasyuromorphian *'' Ganbulanyi'', a carnivorous dasyuromorphian *'' Joculusium'', a carnivorous dasyuromorphian *'' Malleodectes'', a

with

snail A snail is a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gas ...

eating dentition *'' Maximucinus'', an ancient thylacine *'' Mayigriphus'', a carnivorous dasyuromorphian *''

Muribacinus ''Muribacinus'' is an extinct genus of thylacinid that lived during the middle Miocene in what is now northwestern Queensland, Australia. It was described in 1995 from remains collected at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area. Only one species is ...

'', an ancient thylacine *''

Nimbacinus The genus ''Nimbacinus'' contains two species of carnivorous, quadrupedal marsupials in Australia both of which are extinct: * ''Nimbacinus dicksoni'' Muirhead & Archer, 1990 * ''Nimbacinus peterbridgei'' Churchill, Archer & Hand, 2024 Like ...

'', an ancient thylacine *''

Ngamalacinus ''Ngamalacinus'' is an extinct genus of thylacinid that lived in Australia from about 26 to 16 million years ago. Its fossils are solely known from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland. Two species are currently known, the Early Mi ...

'', an ancient thylacine *''

Wabulacinus ''Wabulacinus'' is a poorly known genus of thylacinid marsupial from Early Miocene and possibly Late Oligocene deposits at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland. It consists of two species, the type species ''W. ridei'' and ''W. ma ...

'', an ancient thylacine

Misc. Mammals

*'' Naraboryctes'', a marsupial mole *'' Obdurodon'', a giant

platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypi ...

*'' Yalkaparidon'', a bizarre marsupial *'' Yingabalanara richardsoni'' (FZB) a mysterious

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

Aves (Birds)

*'' Australlus'', a flightless rail *'' Barawertornis'', a mihirung *'' Cacatua'', a cockatoo *'' Ciconia'', a

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons and ibise ...

*''

Collocalia ''Collocalia'' is a genus of Swift (bird), swifts, containing some of the smaller species termed "swiftlets". Formerly a catch-all genus for these, a number of its former members are now normally (though not by all authors) placed in ''Aerodramus ...

'', a

swiftlet Swiftlets are birds from the four genera ''Aerodramus'', ''Collocalia'', ''Hydrochous'' and ''Schoutedenapus'', which form the tribe (biology), tribe Collocaliini within the swift (bird), swift family (biology), family Apodidae. The group contain ...

*'' Corvitalusoides'', an ancient

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

*'' Dasyornis walterbolesi'', a bristlebird *'' Daphoenositta trevorworthy'', a sittella *'' Dromornis'', a mihirung *'' Emuarius'', an emuwary *'' Eoanseranas'', a magpie-goose *'' Kurrartapu'', a cracticid *'' Longmornis'', an Old World oriole *'' Melopsittacus'', a budgerigar *'' Menura'', a lyrebird *'' Orthonyx'', a logrunner *'' Pengana'', a flexible-footed

bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

*'' Pinpanetta'', a stiff-tailed duck *'' Primophaps'', a bronzewing pigeon *'' Sericuloides marynguyenae'', a bowerbird

Reptiles

*'' Baru'', the cleaver-headed crocodile *'' Egernia'', a

skink Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...

*'' Elseya lavarackorum'', a side neck turtle that is still living today *'' Incongruelaps'', a venomous

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

*'' Mekosuchus'', a crocodile *'' Meiolania'', a horned turtle *'' Morelia riversleighensis'', an ancient python species *'' Nanowana'', extinct snakes (Madtsoiidae) *'' Physignathus'', a dragon lizard *'' Pseudemydura'', a side neck turtle *'' Pygopus'', a

legless lizard Legless lizard may refer to any of several groups of lizards that have independently lost limbs or reduced them to the point of being of no use in locomotion.Pough ''et al.'' 1992. Herpetology: Third Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall:Pearson Education ...

*'' Quinkana meboldi'', a crocodile *'' Ramphotyphlops'', a blind snake *'' Sulcatidens'', a dragon lizard *'' Tiliqua'', a skink *'' Trilophosuchus'', a tree-dwelling

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

*'' Ultrastenos'', a crocodile *'' Varanus'', a

monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and West African Nile monitor, one species is also found in south America as an invasive species. A ...

*'' Warkalania'', a horned turtle *'' Wonambi'', extinct snakes ( Madtsoiidae) *'' Yurlunggur'', extinct snakes ( Madtsoiidae)

Amphibians

*'' Crinia'', a frog *'' Philoria'', a frog *'' Lechriodus'', a frog *'' Limnodynastes'', a frog *''

Litoria ''Litoria'' is a genus of Hylidae, hylid tree frogs, sometimes collectively referred to as Australasian treefrogs. Description The species within the genus ''Litoria'' are extremely variable in appearance, behaviour, and habitat. The smallest s ...

'', a tree-dwelling

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

Dipnoi (Lungfishes)

*'' Mioceratodus'', a lungfish *'' Neoceratodus'', a

lungfish Lungfish are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the class Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for retaining ancestral characteristics within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and ancestral structures within Sarcopterygii, inc ...

References

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PhysOrg Phys.org is an online science, research and technology news aggregator which re-publishes press releases and stories from news agencies (a business model known as churnalism). In 2012, PhysOrg.com was changed to Phys.org. , Phys.org was posti ...

, publisher=PhysOrg.com {{cite news , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10686515 , title=Cave yields marsupial fossil haul , accessdate=5 August 2010 , date=19 July 2010 , work=

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...