Lungfish and the Long Defeat

Australia has an excellent fossil record of lungfish that begins in the Devonian and includes many species Tertiary Quaternary deposits. The extant Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, occurs Pliocene deposits, but is now restricted to a handful coastal rivers Queensland. Some taxa, belonging related N. are represented by only few specimens, others include large numbers tooth plates. existence these even if they indicates were present lakes central northern past, potential habitats for fish more extensive then than now. Many populations died out because became arid, remaining isolated river systems north east continent. However, cause extinction some was not always increasing aridity. Several apparently living poor conditions. They stopped spawning adding new members population. individuals showed advanced age diseases before population disappeared. This can be observed day, one reservoir already extinct.