Nimbacinus dicksoni is an extinct thylacinid marsupial, a close relative of the recent but extinct thylacinid known as the Tasmanian tiger. It lived approximately 23-16 million years ago in the Miocene period. Nimbacinus dicksoni was about 1.6 ft (50 cm) long. Being a predator, it likely ate birds, small mammals, and reptiles. Like the recently-extinct thylacine, it may have been an awkward runner and used stamina to catch prey rather than speed. Fossils have been found in Australia at Riversleigh in north-western Queensland and Bullock Creek in the Northern Territory. Like all thylacinids, Nimbacinus dicksoni was a dog-like marsupial, though its smaller size makes its appearance more comparable to that of a fox. Unlike its relatives, its jaws were likely strong enough for it to take down prey larger than itself. The known material consists of a nearly complete skeleton, missing only the feet and tail, though the holotype consists only of upper and lower jaws found in a different part of the same fossil site. In terms of completeness, it is the best-known thylacinid, excluding the thylacine. References External links Australian Museum Nimbacinus dicksoni Australia's lost kingdom Australian Beast's Australian Museum Nimbacinus dicksoni information at The Thylacine Museum Mikko's Phylogeny Archive NIMBA CINUS DICKSONl, A PLESIOMORPHIC THYLACINE (MARSUPIALIA: THYLACINIDAE) FROM TERTIARY DEPOSITS OF QUEENSLAND AND THE NORTHERN TERRITORY J. MUIRHEAD AND M. ARCHER Lorraeme Shume, “Drawing and modelling an extinct species”, The Science Show, 5 January 2013 Prehistoric mammals of Australia Prehistoric thylacines Oligocene marsupials Miocene marsupials Fossil taxa described in 1990 Riversleigh fauna