User:Ankylosaur Enthusiast/sandbox2

History and naming
The holotype specimen (QMF16853) of Ngamalacinus was collected from the early Miocene 'Inabeyance site' at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland. It consists of a right dentary preserving all four molars. It represents a juvenile individual based on a partially erupted fourth molar. A left maxilla (QMF30300) referable to Ngamalacinus is also known from the type locality, while a right third premolar (QMF16855) is known from the 'Camel Sputum Site'. The 'Camel Sputum site' has been radiometrically dated to ~18.5–17.0 Ma, while biocorrelation suggests that the 'Inabeyance site' has an age of ~18.5–16.2 Ma.

In 1997, palaeontologist Jeanette Muirhead described Ngamalacinus timmulvaneyi as a new genus and species of thylacinid based on these fossil remains. The genus name combines the Wanyii word ‘Ngamala’ (died out) and the ancient Greek stem word ‘-kynos' (dog). The species name honours Tim Mulvaney, for their long time support of research at Riversleigh.

Description
elatively reduced conules and stylar shelf; retention of small stylar cusps B and D; narrower angle of maxillary molar cristae, less anteroposterior molar elongation, and less reduced talon basin than more derived thylacinids; retention of hypoconulid, entoconid, and relatively large metaconid (larger than paraconid) with distinct metacristid.

Ngamalacinus was a small thylacinid, with an estimated weight of 5.7-8.4 kg (12.6-18.5 lbs).

Paleobiology
Unspecialised faunivore, restricted to feeding on invertebrate and small vertebrates. Based on the lack of characteristics shared with either insectivorous or hypercarnivorous dasyurids.