RIVERSLEIGH ROCKS! Unearth Australia’s prehistoric past The Riversleigh World Heritage Area stretches 10,000ha and sits within Boodjamulla National Park. Riversleigh is one of the world’s most important fossil sites! A committee of Waanyi Peoples, palaeontologists, archaeologists, tourism and local government representatives, community members and neighbours provide advice on research, presentation, management and protection of Riversleigh. Can you find all of Riversleigh’s ancient animals?
Due to Australia’s long separation from the other continents, some of the world’s most interesting animals evolved here. Palaeontologists are fossil hunters, and have revealed amazing animals like carnivorous kangaroos, predatory pouched lions, giant flightless birds and tree-climbing crocodiles!
The limestone in which the fossils are found has protected the often delicate bones. After an animal has died, it is buried by the lime-rich sedimentary deposits and is preserved almost perfectly.
The many fossils found at Riversleigh show an ancient and mysterious world that existed between 15–25 million years ago when the area was a lush forest scattered with freshwater pools.
The environment at Riversleigh has changed dramatically over time, and understanding how and why these changes occurred will help us better manage the future of Australia’s wildlife as climates change into the future. This terror of ancient Riversleigh had a particular The Yalkaparidon had very strange back teeth fondness for meat! Known as Australia’s killer shaped like a boomerang. The front teeth, possibly kangaroo, Ekaltadeta was able to slice through used for digging out insects from branches, were bone as well as muscle, and probably galloped long and grew continuously to make sure they were rather than hopped. Ekaltadeta was just one always sharp. of the strange kinds of kangaroos that lived in Riversleigh’s ancient rainforest.
Riversleigh lies within the traditional country of the Waanyi Peoples
The Waanyi Peoples know this region as their spiritual and sacred Boodjamulla or Rainbow Serpent country—this sacred Ancestral Being created many of the region’s beautiful landscape features.
The Waanyi Peoples connection to the landscape is maintained through cultural activities and Barawertornis tedfordi was a huge, cassowary- The Hypsiprymnodon bartholomaii was a small their strong link to this country was recognised through Native Title in 2010. sized flightless bird. The fossilised vertebra and rat-kangaroo closely related to today’s rainforest- gizzard stones of an even bigger bird species dwelling Musky rat-kangaroo, but far more primitive. Dromornis murrayi, affectionately known as ‘Big Unable to hop, it used all four limbs to gallop. Eating Bird’, can be seen in a large limestone rock beside fruits, nuts and seeds, they would occasionally eat Walk on the wild side— the Riversleigh Fossil Trail. other small animals such as insects. Hells Gate check out KaDrumb Site!a
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Numerous relatives of the now extinct Tasmanian The 5m-long, cleaver-headed Baru wickeni had huge Further information tiger have been discovered at Riversleigh. One dagger-like teeth and lived around Riversleigh’s of them—Nimbacinus dicksoni—was a carnivore freshwater pools about 16-24 million years ago. A www.des.qld.gov.au the size of a terrier dog that hunted through the fossilised crushed skull of a crocodile can be seen rainforest that existed there. along the Riversleigh Fossil Trail.