Riversleigh
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| State Party |  Australia |
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| Type | Natural | |
| Criteria | viii, ix | |
| Identification | #698 | |
| Region2 | Asia-Pacific | |
| Inscription History | ||
| Formal Inscription: | 1994 18th WH Committee Session |
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| WH link: | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/698 | |
|
1 Name as officially inscribed on the WH List |
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Riversleigh, in North West Queensland, is a 100 km² area containing fossil remains of ancient mammals of the Oligocene and Miocene. It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1994 and is an extension of the Lawn Hill National Park.
Riversleigh is one of Australia's most renowned fossil sites.
Fossils at Riversleigh are encased in limestone formed in lime-rich freshwater pools and caves as the ecosystem evolved from a rich rainforest community to semi-arid grasslands. Thirty-five fossil bat species have been identified at the site, which is the richest in the world. The skull and nearly complete dentition of a fifteen million-year-old monotreme, Obdurodon dicksoni , provide a window into the evolution of this characteristically Australian group. Rare fossils of the marsupial thylacines, ancestors of the recently-extinct Thylacinus cynocephalus, the "Tasmanian Tiger", have been identified from Riversleigh's Oligo-Miocene fauna.
Contents |
[edit] Creatures of Riversleigh
- Yalkaparidon, a bizarre marsupial
- Ekaltadeta, a carnivorous rat kangaroo
- Silvabestius, a giant wombat
- "Fangaroo", a fanged kangaroo
- Wakaleo, a marsupial lion
- Priscileo, a marsupial lion
- Burramys, the mountain pygmy possum
- Nimbacinus, a precursor of the Tasmanian wolf
- Obdurodon, a giant platypus
- Brachipposideros, a leaf-nosed bat
- Nimiokoala, an ancient koala
- Yarala, a tube-nosed bandicoot
- Paljara, a small woolly ringtail possum
- Pengana, a flexible-footed bird of prey
- Cockatoo[citation needed]
- Menura tyawanoides, a prehistoric lyrebird
- The first fossil record of the Orthonychidae (logrunner) family
- Trilophosuchus, a tree-dwelling crocodile
- Baru, the cleaver-headed crocodile
- Montypythonoides (=Morelia), Riversleigh python
- Yurlunggur, Nanowana and Wonambi, extinct snakes (Madtsoiidae)
[edit] See Also
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
[edit] External links
- UNESCO site with information on Riversleigh, Australia
- Australian site about Riversleigh
- World Heritage: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites
- Information about fossils from Riversleigh, Australian Museum
- The Riversleigh Society supports scientific research at Riversleigh
[edit] Reference
- Archer, M. et al 1991. Riversleigh: the Story of Australia's Inland Rainforests, (Sydney: Reed Books).
Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves | Fossil Mammal Sites: Naracoorte and Riversleigh | Fraser Island | Great Barrier Reef | Greater Blue Mountains Area | Heard and McDonald Islands | Kakadu | Lord Howe Island Group | Macquarie Island | Purnululu | Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens | Shark Bay | Tasmanian Wilderness | Uluru-Kata Tjuta | Wet Tropics of Queensland | Willandra Lakes Region
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