Marsupials Fossil range: Middle Cretaceous - Recent
Female Eastern Grey Kangaroo with a joey in her pouch
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Marsupialia Illiger, 1811
Orders
Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Sparassodonta (extinct) Yalkaparidontia (extinct)

Marsupials are mammals in which the female typically has a pouch (called the marsupium, from which the name 'Marsupial' derives) in which it rears its young through early infancy. They differ from placental mammals (Placentalia) in their reproductive traits. The female has two vaginas, both of which open externally through one orifice but lead to different compartments within the uterus. Males usually have a two-pronged penis which corresponds to the females' two vaginas. The penis only passes semen. Marsupials have a cloaca [1] [2] that is connected to a urogenital sac in both sexes. Waste is stored there before expulsion. The pregnant female develops a kind of yolk sac in her womb which delivers nutrients to the embryo. The embryo is born at a very early stage of development (at about 4-5 weeks), upon which it crawls up its mother's belly and attaches itself to a nipple (which is located inside the pouch). It remains attached to the nipple for a number of weeks. The offspring later passes through a stage where it temporarily leaves the pouch, returning for warmth and nourishment. Species See text. ... // The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1067x1600, 645 KB) Eastern Grey Kangaroo with joey File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kangaroo Marsupial Eastern Grey Kangaroo Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates User:Fir0002/FPCandidates Joey... Binomial name Shaw, 1790 The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is a marsupial found in southern and eastern Australia, with a population of several million. ... A joey of Tasmanian Pademelon looking out from the mothers pouch A joey is any infant marsupial. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in female mammary glands and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in... Infraclasses Metatheria Eutheria This article is about the subclass of mammals. ... Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger (November 19, 1775 - May 1813) was a German entomologist who also worked on birds and mammals. ... In scientific classification used in biology, the order (Latin: ordo, plural ordines) is a rank between class and family (termed a taxon at that rank). ... Genera Several; see text Opossum fur is quite soft, and was once commonly used in the bathtub as a sponge. ... Genera  Caenolestes  Lestoros  Rhyncholestes The biological order Paucituberculata contains the five surviving species of shrew opossum: small, shrew-like marsupials which are confined to the Andes mountains of South America. ... Binomial name Dromiciops australis Thomas, 1894 The Monito del Monte (little mountain monkey, Dromiciops australis) is a semi-arboreal South American marsupial which is thought to be more closely related to the marsupials of Australasia than to those of the Americas. ... Families Thylacinidae Dasyuridae Myrmecobiidae Most carnivorous marsupials belong to the order Dasyuromorphia, including the quolls, dunnarts, Numbat, Tasmanian Devil, and the recently extinct Thylacine. ... Families: Peroryctidae Peramelidae The order Peramelemorphia includes the bandicoots and bilbies: it equates approximately to the mainstream of marsupial omnivores. ... Binomial names Notoryctes typhlops Notoryctes caurinus The marsupial moles are rare and poorly understood burrowing mammals of the deserts of western Australia. ... Suborders Vombatiformes Phalangeriformes Macropodiformes Diprotodontia is a large taxon of about 120 marsupial mammals including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, Koala, wombats, and many others. ... Sparassodonta, a zoological name applied to a group of primitive carnivorous mammals from the Santa Crux beds of Patagonia, represented by the genera Borhyaena, Prothylacinus, Amphiproviverra, etc. ... Paleospecies †Yalkaparidon coheni †Yalkaparidon jonesi Thingodonta is the colloquial name given to a bizarre order of extinct Australian marsupials, first described in 1988 and known only from the Oligo-Miocene deposits of Riversleigh, northeastern Australia. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in female mammary glands and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in... Kangaroo Joey inside the pouch The pouch is a distinguishing feature of marsupials; the name marsupial is derived from the Latin marsupium, meaning pouch. ... Orders[1] Bobolestes Eomaia Maelestes Montanalestes Murtoilestes Prokennalestes Placentalia Superorder Xenarthra: Cingulata (Armadillos) Pilosa (Sloths, True Anteaters) Superorder Afrotheria: Afrosoricida (Tenrecs, etc. ... The vagina, (from Latin, literally sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. ... This article is about female reproductive anatomy. ... The penis (plural penises, penes) is an external male sexual organ. ... In zoological anatomy, a cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, urinary, and genital tracts of certain animal species. ... For other uses, see Embryo (disambiguation). ...

History

Fossil evidence, first announced by researcher M.J. Spechtt in 1982, does not support the once-common belief that marsupials were a primitive forerunner of the placental mammals: both main branches of the mammal tree appear to have evolved at around the same time, toward the end of the Mesozoic era. The earliest known marsupial is Sinodelphys szalayi, which lived around 125 million years ago. It was discovered in China and is of a similar age to the earliest placental fossils, which have been found in the same area. For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... Sinodelphys or Chinese opossum is to date the oldest marsupial fossil known. ...

There have been various ideas about the early evolution of marsupials. Some scientists believe that the marsupials evolved in North America and dispersed from there, via Europe, to Asia and Africa. They would have also reached South America before this became an island continent. This theory suggests that marsupials passed from South America, via Antarctica, to Australia, which was already occupied by placentals. Another theory is that marsupials evolved in Australia and travelled, via Antarctica and South America to North America. The discovery of Chinese marsupials also resurrects the idea that marsupials reached Australia via south-east Asia. The problem with this idea is that marsupial fossils found in New Guinea are younger than those in Australia. There are a few species of marsupials living in Asia, especially in Sulawesi, which is part of Indonesia. These marsupials exist with primates, hoofed mammals and other placentals.^{[citation needed]}

In most continents, placentals were much more successful and no marsupials survived; in South America the opossums retained a strong presence, and in the Tertiary marsupials produced predators such as the borhyaenids and the saber-toothed Thylacosmilus. In Australia placental mammals were displaced by marsupials which have since dominated. Despite seeming rather unlikely, marsupial success in Australia is theoretically possible, as marsupials have such low metobolic rates that they may have had significant advantage over high metabolic rate placentals. As a result native Australian placental mammals are more recent immigrants (e.g., the hopping mice). Genera Several; see text Opossum fur is quite soft, and was once commonly used in the bathtub as a sponge. ... Tertiary geological time interval covers roughly the time span between the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs and beginning of the most recent Ice Age, approximately 65 million to 1. ... The Borhyaenids were a carnivorous group of otter/wolverine-shaped marsupials in the order Sparassodonta. ... Species Thylacosmilus was a saber-toothed marsupial predator that first appeared during the Miocene. ... Species alexis cervinus fuscus mitchelli aquillo longicaudatus amplus macrotis mordax sp. ...

The early birth of marsupials removes the developing young much sooner than in placental mammals, and marsupials have not needed to develop a complex placenta to protect the young from its mother's immune system. Early birth places the tiny new-born marsupial at greater risk, but significantly reduces the risks associated with pregnancy, as there is no need to carry a large fetus to full-term in bad seasons. The placenta is an ephemeral (temporary) organ present in female placental vertebrates during gestation (pregnancy), but a placenta has evolved independently also in other animals as well, for instance scorpions and velvet worms. ... A scanning electron microscope image of a single neutrophil (yellow), engulfing anthrax bacteria (orange). ...

Because a newborn marsupial must climb up to its mother's nipples, the otherwise minimally developed newborn has front limbs that are much better developed than the rest of its body. This requirement is perhaps responsible for the more limited range of locomotory adaptations in marsupials than placentals; marsupials must devolop a grasping forepaw during their early youth, making it more difficult to develop it into a hoof, wing, or flipper as some groups of placental mammals have done. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... WING ESPN 1410 is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton, Ohio operating with 5,000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios, offices and transmitter located on David Road in Kettering. ... A flipper is a digitless, typically flat limb evolved for movement through water. ...

There are about 334 species of marsupials, over 200 of them native to Australia and nearby islands to the north. There are also many extant species in South America and, as a result of the Great American Interchange there is also one species (the Virginia Opossum) which is native to and is the only species of marsupial in North America. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Great American Interchange was a very important paleozoogeographic event in which land and freshwater animal faunas migrated from Central America to South America and vice versa, as the volcanic Isthmus of Panama rose up from the sea floor and bridged the continents. ... Binomial name (Kerr, 1792) The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is the only marsupial found in North America north of the Rio Grande River. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

Taxonomy

In taxonomy, there are two primary divisions of Marsupialia: American marsupials and the Australian marsupials. The Order Microbiotheria (which has only one species, the Monito del Monte) is found in South America but is believed to be more closely related to the Australian marsupials. Look up taxonomy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name Dromiciops australis Thomas, 1894 The Monito del Monte (little mountain monkey, Dromiciops australis) is a semi-arboreal South American marsupial which is thought to be more closely related to the marsupials of Australasia than to those of the Americas. ... Binomial name Dromiciops gliroides Thomas, 1894 Synonyms Dromiciops australis The Monito del Monte (little mountain monkey, Dromiciops gliroides) is a semi-arboreal South American marsupial which is thought to be more closely related to the marsupials of Australasia than to those of the Americas. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

There are many small, arboreal species in each group. Those in America are often called "opossums", while many of those in Australia and New Zealand are called "possums". This article is about the biological organisms known as trees. ... The hierarchy of scientific classification. ... This article or section should be merged with Virginia_opossum The word opossum (usually pronounced without the leading O, or with only a very slight schwa) refers either to the Virginia Opossum in particular, or more generally to any of the other marsupials of magnorder Ameridelphia. ... For other uses, see Possum (disambiguation). ...

• Superorder Ameridelphia
  • Order Didelphimorphia (93 species)
    • Family Didelphidae: opossums
  • Order Paucituberculata (6 species)
    • Family Caenolestidae: shrew opossums

The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps)

• Superorder Australidelphia
  • Order †Yalkaparidontia
  • Order Microbiotheria (1 species)
    • Family Microbiotheriidae: Monito del Monte
  • Order Dasyuromorphia (71 species)
    • Family †Thylacinidae: Thylacine (a.k.a. marsupial wolf, Tasmanian wolf, Tasmanian tiger).
    • Family Dasyuridae: antechinuses, quolls, dunnarts, Tasmanian Devil, and relatives
    • Family Myrmecobiidae: Numbat
  • Order Peramelemorphia (24 species)
    • Family Thylacomyidae: bilbies
    • Family Chaeropodidae: Pig-footed Bandicoot
    • Family Peramelidae: bandicoots and allies
  • Order Notoryctemorphia (2 species)
    • Family Notoryctidae: marsupial moles
  • Order Diprotodontia (137 species)
    • Family Phascolarctidae: Koala
    • Family Vombatidae: wombats
    • Family Diprotodontidae: diprotodon
    • Family Phalangeridae: brushtail possums and cuscuses
    • Family Burramyidae: pygmy possums
    • Family Tarsipedidae: Honey Possum
    • Family Petauridae: Striped Possum, Leadbeater's Possum, Yellow-bellied Glider, Sugar Glider, Mahogany Glider, Squirrel Glider
    • Family Pseudocheiridae: ringtailed possums and relatives
    • Family Potoridae: potoroos, rat kangaroos, bettongs
    • Family Acrobatidae: Feathertail Glider
    • Family Hypsiprymnodontidae: Musky Rat Kangaroo
    • Family Macropodidae: kangaroos, wallabies, and relatives
    • Family Thylacoleonidae: Marsupial lions
  • Order Sparassodonta (extinct)

Ameridelphia is the magnorder that includes all marsupials living in the Americas except for Dromiciops. ... Genera Several; see text Opossum fur is quite soft, and was once commonly used in the bathtub as a sponge. ... Genera Several; see text The order Didelphimorphia contains the common opossums of the western hemisphere. ... Genera  Caenolestes  Lestoros  Rhyncholestes The biological order Paucituberculata contains the five surviving species of shrew opossum: small, shrew-like marsupials which are confined to the Andes mountains of South America. ... Genera  Caenolestes  Lestoros  Rhyncholestes The biological order Paucituberculata contains the five surviving species of shrew opossum: small, shrew-like marsupials which are confined to the Andes mountains of South America. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1132x1113, 357 KB) Summary A Koala caught climbing up a tree. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1132x1113, 357 KB) Summary A Koala caught climbing up a tree. ... For the drawing program, see KoalaPad/Painter. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 527 pixel Image in higher resolution (2185 × 1439 pixel, file size: 724 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)The Sugar Glider photo was taken by Figaro at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia I, the creator of this work... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 527 pixel Image in higher resolution (2185 × 1439 pixel, file size: 724 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)The Sugar Glider photo was taken by Figaro at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia I, the creator of this work... Binomial name Waterhouse, 1839 Sugar Glider natural range: Red: Blue: Darkgreen: Yellow: Violet: Lightgreen: Black: The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small gliding possum native to eastern and northern mainland Australia, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Archipelago, and introduced to Tasmania. ... Australidelphia is the magnorder that contains roughly three-quarters of all marsupials, including all those native to Australasia and a single species from South America. ... Paleospecies †Yalkaparidon coheni †Yalkaparidon jonesi Thingodonta is the colloquial name given to a bizarre order of extinct Australian marsupials, first described in 1988 and known only from the Oligo-Miocene deposits of Riversleigh, northeastern Australia. ... Binomial name Dromiciops australis Thomas, 1894 The Monito del Monte (little mountain monkey, Dromiciops australis) is a semi-arboreal South American marsupial which is thought to be more closely related to the marsupials of Australasia than to those of the Americas. ... Binomial name Dromiciops australis Thomas, 1894 The Monito del Monte (little mountain monkey, Dromiciops australis) is a semi-arboreal South American marsupial which is thought to be more closely related to the marsupials of Australasia than to those of the Americas. ... Families Thylacinidae Dasyuridae Myrmecobiidae Most carnivorous marsupials belong to the order Dasyuromorphia, including the quolls, dunnarts, Numbat, Tasmanian Devil, and the recently extinct Thylacine. ... Binomial name Thylacinus cynocephalus (Harris, 1808) The Tasmanian Tigers is the name of the Tasmanian state cricket team. ... Families Thylacinidae Dasyuridae Myrmecobiidae Most carnivorous marsupials belong to the order Dasyuromorphia, including the quolls, dunnarts, Numbat, Tasmanian Devil, and the recently extinct Thylacine. ... Type Species Antechinus stuartii Macleay, 1841 Species See text. ... Type Species Didelphis maculata Anon. ... Dunnarts are furry narrow-footed marsupials the size of a mouse. ... For other uses, see Tasmanian Devil (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836 The Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is an endangered small marsupial native to western and southern Australia with a number of unique features. ... Binomial name Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836 Subspecies Myrmecobius fasciatus fasciatus Myrmecobius fasciatus rufus The Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a small marsupial endemic to western Australia. ... Families: Peroryctidae Peramelidae The order Peramelemorphia includes the bandicoots and bilbies: it equates approximately to the mainstream of marsupial omnivores. ... Species (extinct) Bilbies are marsupial omnivores; members of the bandicoot family. ... Species (extinct) Bilbies are marsupial omnivores; members of the bandicoot family. ... Binomial name Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838 The Pig-footed Bandicoot (Chaeropus ecaudatus) was a small, mostly herbivorous bandicoot of the arid and semi-arid plains of inland Australia. ... Binomial name Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838 The Pig-footed Bandicoot (Chaeropus ecaudatus) was a small, mostly herbivorous bandicoot of the arid and semi-arid plains of inland Australia. ... Genera  Perameles  Isoodon  Chaeropus A bandicoot is any of about 8 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivores in the subfamily Peramelinae (the true bandicoots) of the family Peramelidae; or in a broader sense, any of about 21 species of fairly similar animals in the order Peramelemorphia. ... Families and Genera Chaeropodidae Chaeropus Peramelidae Isoodon Perameles Peroryctes Echymipera Microperoryctes Rhynchomeles A bandicoot is any of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia. ... Binomial names Notoryctes typhlops Notoryctes caurinus The marsupial moles are rare and poorly understood burrowing mammals of the deserts of western Australia. ... Binomial names Notoryctes typhlops Notoryctes caurinus The marsupial moles are rare and poorly understood burrowing mammals of the deserts of western Australia. ... Suborders Vombatiformes Phalangeriformes Macropodiformes Diprotodontia is a large taxon of about 120 marsupial mammals including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, Koala, wombats, and many others. ... Binomial name Phascolarctos cinereus Goldfuss, 1817 The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus; sometimes also spelled Phascolarctus cinereus) is a thickset arboreal marsupial herbivore endemic to Australia, and the only representative of its family, Phascolarctidae. ... Binomial name Vombatus ursinus Shaw, 1800 The wombat is an Australian marsupial in appearance rather like a small, very short-legged and muscular bear approximately 1 metre in length, and with a mere nubbin of a tail. ... Genera and Species Vombatus Vombatus ursinus Lasiorhinus Lasiorhinus latifrons Lasiorhinus krefftii †Rhizophascolomus †Phascolonus †Warendja †Ramasayia Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately one metre (3 feet) in length with a very short tail. ... Species Diprotodon opatum Diprotodon minor Diprotodon loderi Diprotodon annextans Cast of a Diprotodon skeleton at Queensland Museum. ... A possum is any of about 25 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupials native to Australia. ... Binomial name Tarsipes rostratus Gervais & Verreaux, 1842 The Honey Possum (Tarsipes rostratus) or Noolbenger is a tiny Australian marsupial weighing just 5 to 10 grams—about half the size of a mouse. ... Genera Dactylopsila Gymnobelideus Petaurus The family Petauridae includes 11 medium-sized possum species: four striped possums, the six species wrist-winged gliders in genus Petaurus, and Leadbeaters Possum which has only vestigal gliding membranes. ... Binomial name Dactylopsila trivirgata Gray, 1858 The Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata) is a member of the Petauridae family, one of the marsupial families. ... Binomial name Gymnobelideus leadbeateri McCoy, 1867 Leadbeaters Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) is an endangered possum restricted to small pockets of remaining old growth Mountain Ash forests in the cool, misty highlands of Victoria, Australia. ... Binomial name Petaurus australis Shaw, 1791 The Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis), also known as the Fluffy Glider, is about the size of a rabbit, and has a grey-brown back and is off-white to orange underneath, with large pointed ears and a long tail. ... Binomial name Waterhouse, 1839 Sugar Glider natural range: Red: Blue: Darkgreen: Yellow: Violet: Lightgreen: Black: The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small gliding possum native to eastern and northern mainland Australia, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Archipelago, and introduced to Tasmania. ... Binomial name Petaurus gracilis (de Vis, 1883) The Mahogany Glider (Petaurus gracilis), which is named for its mahogany-brown colour, is a highly endangered possum, very similar in appearance to both the smaller sized Sugar Glider and Squirrel Glider. ... Binomial name Petaurus norfolcensis (Kerr, 1792) The Squirrel Glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) is a gliding possum of the Marsupial family Petauridae. ... A possum is any of about 25 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupials native to Australia. ... The marsupial family Potoridae includes the bettongs, potoroos and rat-kangaroos. ... Genera Acrobates Distoechurus Acrobatidae is a small family of marsupials contains two genera, each with a single species, the Feathertail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) from Australia and Feathertail Possum (Distoechurus pennatus) from New Guinea. ... Binomial name Hypsiprymnodon moschatus Ramsay, 1876 The Musky Rat-kangaroo is a marsupial species found in the rainforests of New Guinea and northeast Australia. ... Genera See text Macropods are marsupials belonging to the family Macropodidae, which includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree kangaroos, pademelons, and several others. ... Genus Thylacoleonidae is a group of extinct meat-eating marsupials from Australia. ... Sparassodonta, a zoological name applied to a group of primitive carnivorous mammals from the Santa Crux beds of Patagonia, represented by the genera Borhyaena, Prothylacinus, Amphiproviverra, etc. ...

See also

• Metatheria

Metatheria is a grouping within the animal class Mammalia. ...

References

• Gardner, Alfred (November 16, 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 3-21. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
• Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 22-70. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
• Tim Flannery (1994),The Future Eaters: An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People, pages 67-75. ISBN 0-8021-3943-4 ISBN 0-7301-0422-2
• Tim Flannery, Country: a continent, a scientist & a kangaroo, pages 196-200. ISBN 1-920885-76-5

Dr Colin Groves is a Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. ... is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the baseball player, see Tim Flannery (baseball). ...

External links

• The Marsupial Ring
• Western Australian Mammal Species
• Researchers Publish First Marsupial Genome Sequence The National Institutes of Health May 2007
• First marsupial genome released. Most differences between the opossom and placental mammals stem from non-coding DNA

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