A giant marsupial that roamed prehistoric Australia 25 million years ago is so different from its wombat cousins that scientists have had to create a new family to accommodate it.
The critically endangered mountain pygmy-possum could have its survival chances boosted if scientists succeed in moving the tiny animal from its alpine habitat to a warmer, lowland forest environment, a UNSW Sydney study suggests.
Fossilized bones of two new species of tiny, flightless extinct birds have been discovered by Australasian scientists in 19 to 16-million-year-old sediments of an ancient lake on the South Island of New Zealand.
The fossil remains of a new species of tiny marsupial lion that prowled the lush rainforests of northern Australia about 18 million years ago have been unearthed in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area.
