# Balbaroo

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balbaroo
> Source revision: 1313720191
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{{Short description|Extinct genus of marsupials}}
{{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](/source/T._F._Flannery), [Archer](/source/Mike_Archer_(paleontologist)) & Plane, 1982<ref name="Flannery1983" />
| type_species =  {{extinct}}'''''Balbaroo camfieldensis'''''
| type_species_authority = [Flannery](/source/T._F._Flannery), [Archer](/source/Mike_Archer_(paleontologist)) & Plane, 1982
| subdivision_ranks = Other species
| subdivision = 
* {{extinct}}'''''B. fangaroo''''' <small>Cooke, 2000</small>  
* {{extinct}}'''''B. gregoriensis''''' <small>Flannery, Archer & Plane, 1982</small>
* {{extinct}}'''''B. nalima''''' <small>Black ''et al'', 2014</small>
| synonyms = 
*''[Nambaroo](/source/Nambaroo) bullockensis'' <small>Schwartz & Megirian, 2004</small>
}}

'''''Balbaroo''''' is an extinct genus of basal quadrupedal macropodiform marsupials that once lived in [Australia](/source/Australia) during the Late [Oligocene](/source/Oligocene) to the Middle [Miocene](/source/Miocene).<ref name=Black2014/> Known primarily from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in [Queensland](/source/Queensland), and the Camfield Beds of the [Northern Territory](/source/Northern_Territory), ''Balbaroo'' species are considered part of the family [Balbaridae](/source/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''.<ref name="Flannery1983">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Black2014>{{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 |article-number=e112705 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0112705|pmid=25409233 |pmc=4237356 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...9k2705B |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Phalangerida|M.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q12062584}}

Category:Marsupials of Australia
Category:Prehistoric macropods
Category:Fossil taxa described in 1983

{{paleo-marsupial-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Balbaroo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balbaroo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balbaroo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.