Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
July 19, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Scientists have discovered a cave in the Outback which has beautifully preserved fossils of marsupials almost 15 million years old. The discovery has been called a rare find and the animals seem to have a strange similarity to the modern day kangaroos. Scientists have found as many as 26 skulls of a strange sheep like marsupial that has very large claws. It has been named Nimbadon lavarackorum.

Paleontologist Mike Archer, co-author of the journal that published the findings, said that this was extraordinarily exciting for them. He added that the findings would give a great insight into the history of the Australia that was unknown before. He felt that it could allow us to know some of the strangest animals that existed in the past. Considering that many of the fossils were found in the same area, it is a mystery how all the animals were found at the same place. One of the theories suggest that the cave could have been a form of depression that was concealed by vegetation and the animals fell into them one by one and later died. The findings also included skulls of Nimbadon babies that were still in their mother’s pouches. This allowed the scientist to study how the animals developed.

The large claws suggested that the animals may have been able to climb trees like the modern day Koalas. The fossils also indicated that the Nimbadon may have traveled in herds like kangaroos and the babies developed in the pouch of the mothers after being born.