An international team of biologists from Australia, England and the USA has discovered the fossilized remains of the oldest relative of modern koalas in the central part of the Australian continent. The approximately 25 million-year-old find belongs to the Oligocene period. Report published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.
Scientists named the prehistoric creature Lumakoala blackae. The researchers suggested that it was a domestic cat-sized animal that ate soft leaves.
Biologists hope the finding will close a major gap in the evolution of marsupials. Experts think that the Lumakoala blackae either belongs to the koala family or is a close relative of them. Lumakoala blackae also had features reminiscent of other ancient marsupials, Chulpasia and Thylacotinga.
The team noted that two more ancient koala species were discovered at the excavation site. Taken together, the findings could change understanding of evolutionary history, as previous evidence points to the origin of marsupials in modern-day South America. But the presence of Lumakoala blackae suggests that Australia may be their home.
Formerly paleontologists to create Fossilized remains of the ancestor of all modern tropical birds in New Zealand.