''Raemeotherium'' is an extinct genus of

diprotodont Diprotodontia (, from Greek "two forward teeth") is the largest extant order of marsupials, with about 155 species, including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koala, wombats, and many others. Extinct diprotodonts include the hippopotamus-sized ...

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a ...

from the late Oligocene Namba Formation of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It was much smaller than other diprotodonts, approximately the size of a

lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

, and comparatively gracile. It is usually placed within the

Zygomaturinae The Zygomaturinae are an extinct subfamily of marsupials. The phylogeny and taxonomy of this clade is poorly understood and problematic. Zygomaturines are currently thought to be a subfamily within Diprotodontidae The Diprotodontidae are an ...

, but because the upper third premolar is unknown doubt remains about its affinities.

References

* Long, J., Archer, M., Flannery, T., & Hand, S. (2002) ''Prehistoric mammals of Australia and New Guinea: One hundred million years of evolution''. University of New South Wales Press (page 97) * Rich, T. H., Archer, M., and Tedford, R. H. (1978) ''Raemeotherium yatkolai'', gen. et sp. nov., a primitive diprotodontid from the medial Miocene of South Australia. ''Memoirs of The National Museum of Victoria'', 39: 85-91 http://biostor.org/reference/102728/page/1 Prehistoric vombatiforms Oligocene marsupials Oligocene mammals of Australia Prehistoric marsupial genera {{paleo-marsupial-stub