Litokoala fossil map
Where fossils of Litokoala have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 15 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 27.3–5.333 million years ago (Chattian to Messinian) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene |
| Family | Phascolarctidae |
| Named by | Stirton et al. 1967 |
| Fossil records | 14 occurrences at 7 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Australia |
| Rock formations | txn:40173, Etadunna, Zone E, System B, Wipajiri |
About Litokoala
Litokoala is an extinct genus of marsupials, and along with Nimiokoala, is closely related to the modern koala. The three genera may have diverged at an earlier date, although the drying of the continent and the expansion of Eucalyptus forests towards the late Miocene may have delayed the evolution of cranial features unique to the modern genera. This indicates that either fossil genus could be an ancestor of the modern genus, or the modern genus has a common ancestor to both. More material needs collection to improve their taxonomical relationships.
The genus lived around 16–10 million years ago in the middle Miocene Riversleigh of Queensland, Australia. This area is described as a rainforest habitat at time of sediment deposition. It had a different diet to the modern species, with the dental symphysis unfused, indicating a diet that was properly varied in nature, unlike the specialised nature of Phascolarctos. The size is estimated to be only half of the modern genus. Cranial adaptations are intermediate between the extant common brushtail possum and koala, with minor divergence from either.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Litokoala (revision 1359801994), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q6648651.
