Balbaroo

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Late Oligocene|Middle Miocene}}

| image = Balbaroo nalima sp. nov. Holotype QM F36295.jpg

| image_caption = Holotype skull of Balbaroo nalima

| taxon = Balbaroo

| authority = Flannery, Archer & Plane, 1982

| type_species = {{extinct}}Balbaroo camfieldensis

| type_species_authority = Flannery, Archer & Plane, 1982

| subdivision_ranks = Other species

| subdivision =

{{extinct}}B. fangaroo Cooke, 2000
{{extinct}}B. gregoriensis Flannery, Archer & Plane, 1982
{{extinct}}B. nalima Black et al, 2014

| synonyms =

Nambaroo bullockensis Schwartz & Megirian, 2004

}}

Balbaroo is an extinct genus of basal quadrupedal macropodiform marsupials that once lived in Australia during the Late Oligocene to the Middle Miocene. Known primarily from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland, and the Camfield Beds of the Northern Territory, Balbaroo species are considered part of the family Balbaridae, which represents an early branch of kangaroo evolution. Unlike modern kangaroos, members of the Balbaroo genus were quadrupedal browsers, adapted to dense forest environments. Four species are currently recognised, B. camfieldensis, B. fangaroo, B. gregoriensis, and B. nalima.

Taxonomy

The genus was erected in 1982 to describe a new species of early marsupials, Balbaroo camfieldensis.{{cite journal |last1=Flannery |first1=T.F. |last2=Archer |first2=M. |last3=Plane |first3=M. |title=Middle Miocene kangaroos ( Macropodoidea: Marsupiala) from three localities in northern Australia, with a description of two new subfamilies. |journal=BMR Journal of Australian Geology & Geophysics |date=1982 |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=287–302 |url=https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/middle-miocene-kangaroos-macropodoidea-marsupiala-from-three-loca |language=English}} Since then, it has been determined that members of the genus possessed sharp canines. Despite the sharp canines, the presence of low-crowned bilophodont molars seems to indicate an herbivorous diet.{{cite journal |last1=Black |first1=K.H. |last2=Travouillon |first2=K.J. |last3=Den Boer |first3=W. |last4=Kear |first4=B.P. |last5=Cooke |first5=B.N. |last6=Archer |first6=M. |last7=Evans |first7=A.R |title=A New Species of the Basal "Kangaroo" Balbaroo and a Re-Evaluation of Stem Macropodiform Interrelationships |journal=PLOS ONE |date=19 November 2014 |volume=9 |issue=11 |pages=e112705 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0112705|pmid=25409233 |pmc=4237356 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...9k2705B |doi-access=free }}

References

Category:Marsupials of Australia

Category:Prehistoric macropods

Category:Fossil taxa described in 1983