Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) * |
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| Riversleigh.jpg | |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | viii, ix |
| Reference | 698 |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1994 (18th Session) |
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The Australian Fossil Mammal Sites are special places in Queensland and South Australia that have been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This means they are very important to the whole world because of their unique natural history.
These sites are famous for the amazing fossils found there. Fossils are like clues from the past – they are the preserved remains or traces of ancient plants and animals. The fossils at these sites come from the Cenozoic Era, which is sometimes called the "Age of Mammals," and they tell us a lot about how mammals in Australia have changed over the last 20 million years.
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Discovering Australia's Ancient Mammals
The UNESCO World Heritage listing actually covers two different areas in Australia. Each site offers a unique look into the continent's ancient past and the incredible creatures that once roamed here.
Riversleigh: A Window to the Past
One of the sites is called Riversleigh. It's located in the far north-west part of Queensland. Riversleigh is part of the Boodjamulla National Park. This area is like a giant puzzle of ancient life, with fossils showing many different kinds of mammals that lived millions of years ago. Scientists have found fossils of giant kangaroos, meat-eating kangaroos, ancient wombats, and even strange marsupial lions here! These fossils help us understand how Australia's unique animals evolved and adapted over time.
Naracoorte: Caves of Ancient Life
The other important site is Naracoorte, found in the south-east part of South Australia. This site is part of the Naracoorte Caves National Park. Here, the fossils are mostly found inside limestone caves. These caves acted like natural traps, preserving the bones of animals that fell in over thousands of years. The fossils at Naracoorte are more recent than those at Riversleigh, showing how marsupials and other animals adapted to big climate changes that happened around the world over the last 170,000 years. It's like a timeline of how animals survived through ice ages and warmer periods.
Both Riversleigh and Naracoorte are crucial for understanding the history of life in Australia and how its unique animals came to be.
See Also
