Barinya facts for kids

Imagine a tiny, ancient creature that lived millions of years ago! That's Barinya, a fascinating fossil animal. It belongs to a group of animals called marsupials, just like kangaroos and koalas today.

Barinya is part of the Dasyuridae family. This family includes modern animals like quolls and Tasmanian devils. Scientists believe Barinya is the oldest known member of this family.

Meet Barinya, the Ancient Hunter

Barinya was a very early type of dasyurid. These are marsupials that often hunt other animals. Barinya gives us clues about how these amazing creatures evolved over time.

What Made Barinya Special?

Scientists study Barinya by looking at its fossils. They pay close attention to its teeth (called dentition). They also study the shape of its skull (called skull morphology).

Barinya's teeth and skull looked a bit different from modern dasyurids. They had what scientists call "primitive features." This means they had older traits that show how these animals first developed.

Where Did Barinya Live?

So far, Barinya fossils have only been found in one special place. This place is called Riversleigh. It's located in Queensland, Australia.

Riversleigh is an amazing fossil site. It's like a treasure chest full of ancient animal bones! Barinya fossils are quite common there. This means many of them have been discovered.

When Did Barinya Live?

Barinya lived a very long time ago. It was around during the Oligocene and Miocene periods. These periods happened millions of years ago.

The Oligocene period was from about 33.9 to 23 million years ago. The Miocene period followed, from about 23 to 5.3 million years ago. So, Barinya was roaming Australia during these ancient times!