Microleo

Microleo attenboroughi is a very small species of the Thylacoleonidae family of marsupials from the Early Miocene of Australia, living in the wet forest that dominated Riversleigh around 18 million years ago. The genus Microleo, from Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós), meaning "small", and λέων (léōn), meaning "lion", is currently known from a broken palate and two pieces of jaw, containing some teeth and roots that correspond to those found in other species of thylacoleonids. The shape and structure of the blade-like P3 tooth, a premolar, distinguished the species as a new genus. It was found in Early Miocene-aged deposits of the Riversleigh fossil site in Queensland, regarded as one of the most significant palaeontological sites yet discovered, and named for the naturalist David Attenborough in appreciation of his support for its heritage listing. The anatomy of Microleo suggests the genus is basal to all the known thylacoleonids, known as the marsupial lions, although its relatively small size prompted one discoverer to describe it as the "feisty" kitten of the family.

== Taxonomy == The description of a new species and genus was published in 2016. The type is currently the only known species of Microleo, a genus allied with the family Thylacoleonidae, and viewed as basal to the group. The thylacoleonids are represented in the later fossil records of Australia, powerful predatory marsupial species that existed throughout the Miocene to the Pleistocene.