Riversleigh And Australian Fossil Mammals

Riversleigh’s huge fossil deposit is the best proof that Australia’s wildlife has always been different from the rest of the world. Animals that have been isolated for millions of years and following their own evolution.

Ultimately, Riversleigh is a wonderful fossil site that researchers passionately study. But if we visit the place as simple tourists, it will give us a lot to think about. We tell you more about him.

Where is Riversleigh

Riversleigh is in the Australian state of Queensland, but is to the south and inland of this territory. More specifically, it is located more than 800 kilometers by road from other coastal cities that may sound more familiar to you, such as Brisbane or the Gold Coast.

That is to say, Riversleigh is already in the arid zone of a country where life is only easy being close to the sea, since the rest is a gigantic desert of barren lands. And in large part, the existence of the Riversleigh fossils is due to the harsh geography of this area.

Riversleigh Evolution

The first thing you have to know is that, when we refer to the Riversleigh fossil site, we are not talking about a specific and reduced site. Quite the opposite. The site is huge, as is always the case in Australia. It has an approximate area of ​​100 km².

This area is a limestone territory in which for millions of years the rain was generating a complex system of caves and underground cavities. Some ideal places for the corpses of ancient animals to be perfectly hidden and preserved thanks to the calcareous properties of the terrain.

In addition, this area could have a much more tropical appearance, with abundant vegetation. However, the climatic changes of geological eras such as the Oligocene or the Miocene caused the gradual desertification of the territory. Something that has also helped the conservation of fossils.

The fauna of Australia

As we have said, Australian fauna is different from that of the rest of the world. The most paradigmatic example are its marsupials, such as the kangaroo or koala, but there are others.

And in Riversleigh we can see its antecedents in already extinct species. So it is a place of enormous interest for science. In fact, it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for decades.

Riversleigh Animals

Riversleigh’s variety of fossil remains is very wide. The remains of a good number of mammals characteristic of Australia have appeared. And scientists have also discovered the remains of various birds and reptiles. In other words, a very complete panorama.

The mammals

Especially interesting are the remains of mammals. In them you can distinguish the two types of usual mammals on this gigantic island that is also a continent. We are talking about placental mammals and marsupials.

Among the placentals are bats, the only ones with a placenta along with rats, which are indigenous to Australia (the dingoes would arrive later).

The rest are marsupials. In Riversleigh you see not only the antecedents of kangaroos and koalas. With this type of breeding, the marsupial lion, the Tasmanian tiger, species of bears and some other prehistoric animal that were not known before are also identified.

Birds and reptiles

Most exciting for researchers have been the fossils of mammals. But there are more interesting vertebrates, both birds and reptiles. They have appeared from the remains of snakes already disappeared to ancient crocodiles, not to mention birds that do not exist anymore in our days, both flying and not.

In short, Riversleigh proposes a trip to Australia’s most remote past. A time when everything was different, the landscape, the fauna and the relationship between man and nature. Just for reflecting on these issues it is worth visiting this place.

Main Photography: Jared Yeh / Flickr.com