Marsupialia

Thesaurus

Noun

Marsupialia - coextensive with the subclass Metatheriaorder Marsupialiaanimal order - the order of animalsMetatheria, subclass Metatheria - pouched animalsmarsupial, pouched mammal - mammals of which the females have a pouch (the marsupium) containing the teats where the young are fed and carriedDidelphidae, family Didelphidae - opossumsCaenolestidae, family Caenolestidae - small marsupials of southern South Americafamily Peramelidae, Peramelidae - bandicootsfamily Macropodidae, Macropodidae - kangaroos; wallabiesfamily Phalangeridae, Phalangeridae - phalangers; koalasfamily Vombatidae, Vombatidae - wombatsDasyuridae, family Dasyuridae, family Dasyurinae - dasyures; native cats; pouched mice; banded anteaters; Tasmanian devilsfamily Notoryctidae, Notoryctidae - pouched moles

Marsupialia

An order of animals, long considered the only order of the mammalian infraclass Metatheria.

The marsupials are characterized by the presence of a pouch (marsupium) in the female, a skin pocket whose teat-bearing abdominal wall is supported by epipubic bones. The young are born in the embryonic state and crawl unaided to the marsupium, where they attach themselves to the teats and continue their development. In a few species the pouch is vestigial or has disappeared completely.

A wide variety of terrestrial adaptations are found among the 82 genera of living marsupials. Some spectacular examples of evolution convergent upon placental modes of life are exemplified by the Australian marsupial “moles” (Notoryctes), “wolves” (Thylacinus), and “flying squirrels” (Petaurus). For the most part, the adaptive radiation of the marsupials has paralleled that of the placentals, yielding many ecological analogs, such as kangaroos and wallabies, which are the counterparts of the placental deer and antelopes, although these groups differ widely in structure. See Anteater, Eutheria, Kangaroo, Koala, Mammalia, Metatheria, Opossum

Marsupialia

[mär‚sü·pē′ā·lē·ə] (vertebrate zoology) The single order of the mammalian infraclass Metatheria, characterized by the presence of a marsupium in the female.

Marsupialia

Related to Marsupialia: marsupial, Metatheria, Monotremata, Insectivora

noun

Synonyms for Marsupialia

noun coextensive with the subclass Metatheria

Synonyms

order Marsupialia

Related Words

animal order
Metatheria
subclass Metatheria
marsupial
pouched mammal
Didelphidae
family Didelphidae
Caenolestidae
family Caenolestidae
family Peramelidae
Peramelidae
family Macropodidae
Macropodidae
family Phalangeridae
Phalangeridae
family Vombatidae
Vombatidae
Dasyuridae
family Dasyuridae
family Dasyurinae
family Notoryctidae
Notoryctidae