Ngapakaldia fossil map
Where fossils of Ngapakaldia have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 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 30 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 | 27.3–15.98 million years ago (Chattian to Burdigalian) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene |
| Family | Palorchestidae |
| Named by | Stirton 1967 |
| Fossil records | 10 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Australia |
| Rock formations | txn:40201, Carl Creek Limestone, Etadunna |
About Ngapakaldia
Ngapakaldia is an extinct genus of diprotodontid marsupials, related to the modern koala and wombat. Around the size of a sheep, it was a ground-dwelling herbivore that lived around the vegetated shores of lakes in Central Australia during the Late Oligocene.
The genus was established in 1967 by R. A. Stirton when describing a fossil species Ngapakaldia tedfordi. The name refers to the source of the type material, Lake Ngapakaldi, located in Lake Ngapakaldi to Lake Palankarinna Fossil Area in the Tirari Desert of central Australia.
Two species are placed with the genus, N. bonythoni and N. tedfordi.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Ngapakaldia (revision 1328540238), 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: Q1569458.
