marsupial
Sign in to saveMarsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a relatively undeveloped state and then nurtured within a pouch on their mother's abdomen. Extant marsupials encompass many species, including kangaroos, koalas, opossums, possums, Tasmanian devils, wombats, wallabies, and bandicoots.
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Marsupials are a group of mammals found naturally in Australia, nearby regions, and the Americas, characterized by their unique ability to carry and nurture their underdeveloped young in a pouch on the mother's body. This distinctive reproductive strategy sets them apart from other mammals and includes well-known species like kangaroos, koalas, and opossums.
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Article
19 sectionsContents
- Anatomy
- Skull and teeth
- Torso
- General and convergences
- Body temperature
- {{anchor|Reproductive_System}}Reproductive system
- {{anchor|Male}}Males
- {{anchor|Female}}Females
- Early development
- Range
- Interaction with Europeans
- Taxonomy
- Classification
- Evolutionary history
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a relatively undeveloped state and then nurtured within a pouch on their mother's abdomen. Extant marsupials encompass many species, including kangaroos, koalas, opossums, possums, Tasmanian devils, wombats, wallabies, and bandicoots.
Marsupials constitute a clade stemming from the last common ancestor of extant Metatheria, which encompasses all mammals more closely related to marsupials than to placentals. The evolutionary split between placentals and marsupials occurred 125–160 million years ago in the Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous period.