Going underground: postcranial morphology of the early Miocene marsupial mole Naraboryctes philcreaseri and the evolution of fossoriality in notoryctemorphians

A new analysis of the early Miocene marsupial mole, Naraboryctes philcreaseri, from Australia's Riversleigh World Heritage Area reveals that it was highly adapted for burrowing, with an Index of Fossorial Ability nearly identical to living marsupial moles. This suggests notoryctemorphians evolved their subterranean lifestyle before the Miocene, possibly transitioning from forest floor burrowing or alternative environments like caves. Phylogenetic analysis places Naraboryctes as a sister taxon to Notoryctes, diverging 30.3 million years ago (MYA), with evidence indicating its visual system was functional until at least 5.4 MYA when the gene RBP3 became inactive in the Notoryctes lineage, coinciding with the rise of open grasslands in Australia.

Beck, R. M. D., Warburton, N. M., Archer, M., Hand, S. J., & Aplin, K. P. (2016). Going underground: postcranial morphology of the early Miocene marsupial mole Naraboryctes philcreaseri and the evolution of fossoriality in notoryctemorphians. Memoirs of Museum Victoria, 74, 151–171. https://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.2016.74.14