Marsupials. Flashcards
What subclass of mammals are marsupials placed into?
Metatheria.
A. How many orders are marsupials made up of?
B. How many orders are marsupials made up of?
BQ: How many species?
A. Orders - 6.
B. Families - 18.
BQ: 282sp
Can you name the 7 orders?
BQ: Can you list the number of families in each order?
- Didelphimorphia (BQ: 1) - American opossum.
- Paucituberculata (BQ: 1) - Marsupial shrews/rat opossums.
- Microbiotheria (BQ: 1) - Monito del monte.
- Dasyuromorphia (BQ: 3) - Marsupial carnivores.
- Peramelemorpha (BQ: 2) - Bandicoots and bilibies.
- Diprotodontia (BQ: 9) - Diprotodonts (having two lower front teeth).
- Notoryctemorphia (BQ: 1) - Marsupial mole.
Can you name the family belonging to Dildelphimorphia (american opossum)?
Deldilphidae.
Can you name the family belonging to Paucituberculata (marsupial shrews/rat opossums)?
Caenolestidae.
Can you name the family belonging to Microbiotheria (monito del monte)?
Microbiotheriidae.
Can you name the 3 families belonging to Dasyuromorphia (marsupial carnivores)?
BQ: Can you name which animals belong to which family?
- Dasyuridae (BQ: antechinus, quolls, Tazmainian devil).
- Thylacinidae (BQ: Thylacine).
- Myrmecobidae (BQ: numbat).
Can you name the 2 families belonging to Peramelemorphia (bandicoots and bilibies)?
BQ: Can you name which animals belong to which family?
- Peramelidae (BQ: dry-country bandicoots and bilibies).
- Peroryctidae (BQ: Rainforest bandicoot).
Can you name the 9 families belonging to Dasyuromorphia (diprotodonts)?
BQ: Can you name which animals belong to which family?
- Pseudocheiridae (BQ: ring tail possums).
- Tarsipedidae (BQ: honey possum).
- Burramyidae (BQ: pygmy possoms and pygmy gliders).
- Phalangeridae (BQ: cuscuses, phalangers).
- Phasocolarctidae (BQ: koalas).
- Petauridae (BQ: gliders and striped possums).
- Vombatidae (BQ: wombats).
- Macropodidae (BQ: Kangaroos, wallabies, potoroos).
- Acrobatidae (BQ: feather tail possum).
Can you name the family belonging to Notoryctemorphia (marsupual mole)?
Notoryctidae.
Name 6 identifiers of marsupial skull morphology (differences to eutherian)?
- The auditory bullae is not always present.
- Large palatal vaculities (holes) present in the palet (fenestrated).
- Angular process of the dentition is deflected (bent).
- Braincase is small and narrow.
- Large jugal - it extends posteriorally to a greater extent than eutherians.
- The brain is smaller and simpler than eutherian mammals, and lacks a corpus callosum.
Name 4 characteristics of marsupial dentition.
- All marsupials (bar wombats) have more insisors on the upper jaw.
- Most have more teeth than the average eutherian (who have about 44, where as the american opossum has 50).
- The cheek teeth are usually 3/3 4/4 (in eutherians they are often 4/4 3/3).
- In 11 of the families (orders diprotodontia and paucituberculata), the incisors are modified and form diprotodont teeth - lower jaw is shortened and the first pair of lower incisors are enlarged and elongated (upper incisors may be enlarged, but often unspecialised).
Name 5 characteristics of the marsupials post-cranial skeleton.
- They have epipubic bones in the body wall (etenting anterioaly from the pelvis).
- A variety of limb formes; most are plantigrade, some are digitigrade.
- One species of didelphid (the water opossum) has webbed hind feet and lives a semi aquatic life style.
- Hallux (big toe) is clawless in all marsupials.
- Syndactylous toes - found in two orders (diprotodontia and peramelemorphia). the second and third digits of the hindfeet are fused.
What percentage of female marsupials have a pouch?
BQ: Which familiy all have pouches?
50%
BQ: Macropodidae.
What weight do marsupial neonates not surpass?
> 1g.
How are fat reserves transfered to the neonate?
Via lactation.
On average, how long is gestation?
8-34 days.
Reproduction.
What do female metatherians have that eutherians do not?
Marsupials have a double reproductive tract.