Dasyuromorphia
Sign in to saveDasyuromorphia () is an order comprising most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials. The order contains four families: Myrmecobiidae, with just a single living species, the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), Thylacinidae, with one recently extinct species, the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and several fossil species, Dasyuridae, with 73 extant species, including quolls, dunnarts, and the Tasmanian devil, and the extinct fossil family Malleodectidae with one genus.
AI overview
Dasyuromorphia is an order of Australian marsupials that mostly hunt meat, including well-known animals like the Tasmanian devil and quolls as well as the now-extinct thylacine. It matters because it represents a major group of carnivorous marsupials that have played important ecological roles in Australia, though some species like the thylacine have been lost to extinction.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Description
- Phylogeny
- See also
- References
- External links
Dasyuromorphia () is an order comprising most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials. The order contains four families: Myrmecobiidae, with just a single living species, the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), Thylacinidae, with one recently extinct species, the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and several fossil species, Dasyuridae, with 73 extant species, including quolls, dunnarts, and the Tasmanian devil, and the extinct fossil family Malleodectidae with one genus.
== Description == The body size of dasyuromorphs varies considerably, from only in long-tailed planigale, which is the smallest living marsupial, up to in the recently extinct thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus). They show considerable morphological diversity, including the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger), which is adapted for hopping locomotion. Members of the group are mostly carnivorous, either feeding on vertebrate prey or arthropods like insects. The lower molar teeth of dasyuromorphs typically show a carnassial-like morphology.