diff --git a/openpype/hosts/maya/plugins/publish/extract_fbx_animation.py b/openpype/hosts/maya/plugins/publish/extract_fbx_animation.py
index 8288bc9329..ad9ca385dc 100644
--- a/openpype/hosts/maya/plugins/publish/extract_fbx_animation.py
+++ b/openpype/hosts/maya/plugins/publish/extract_fbx_animation.py
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ class ExtractFBXAnimation(publish.Extractor):
         # Export from the rig's namespace so that the exported
         # FBX does not include the namespace but preserves the node
         # names as existing in the rig workfile
+        if not out_members:
+            self.log.debug(
+                "Top group of animated skeleton not found...skipping extraction")
+            return
+
         namespace = get_namespace(out_members[0])
         relative_out_members = [
             strip_namespace(node, namespace) for node in out_members