Thylacine

Alas, we come now to the end of Marsupial Week. Our final feature is the Thylacine, sometimes known as the Tasmanian Tiger or Tasmanian Wolf. This extinct carnivore is another great example of convergent evolution; because it lived in a place devoid of placental mammalian predators, if was able to fill that niche and closely resemble a dog despite being completely unrelated.

Benjamin, the last captive Thylacine

Unfortunately, Thylacines are now extinct, most likely due to competition with introduced predators and human hunting. They disappeared from the Australian mainland around 200 years ago, and the last examples of the species died in captivity during the 1930s. There have been several sightings in the wild ever since, but none of these claims were official and confirmed.

When they lived, Thylacines were the largest carnivorous Marsupials. They fed off of smaller animals, typically other marsupials, and hunted alone or in pairs during the nighttime. After Europeans arrived in Australia, Thylacines were said to cause the deaths of countless livestock. It is now believed that many of these claims were exaggerated and that the species was made an unfortunate scapegoat. The resulting hunting contributed to their extinction.

Captive Thylacines

Thylacines, like all marsupials, had pouches. But did you know that both the females and males had them? Females used their back facing pouches to conceal and care for their young. Males used theirs as a cover for their external genitalia.

One thing I found especially interesting about this extinct creature is that scientists have actually tried to resurrect the species from the DNA left behind in museum specimens. While the original project was scrapped in 2006, it was announced in 2008 that some gene sequences were replicated in mice. The success of that project can help us to learn much more about this, and possibly other, extinct species.

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Status :  Extinct since the 1930s

Location : Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea

Size : Shoulder height 24in (60cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order : Dasyuromorphia - Family : †Thylacinidae -- Genus : †Thylacinus -- Species : †T. cynocephalus

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Virginia Opossum

Yesterday we learned about one of the Western Hemisphere's most unique marsupials, and now we'll move on to one of its most common. The Virginia or North American Opossum is the only marsupial on the continent to live north of Mexico. They can be found throughout the eastern United States, parts of the West, and down into Mexico and Central America, living in habitats that range from forests, the farmland, to urban areas.

Didelphis virginiana

So what came first, the Possum, or the Opossum? Well, if it's the word we're talking about, Opossum came first. It is derived from an Algonquin word that means "White Animal." The term was eventually adapted to refer to Australia's similar looking marsupials. Opossums also came first in the line of marsupial evolution. They are one of the oldest marsupial families.

Opossums are nocturnal scavengers that live off of an omnivorous diet. They consume plant matter, insects, and even carrion. Virginia Opossums can be quite aggressive when threatened, though if their foe is substantially larger they will "play possum." This involves them playing dead so that the attacker will lose interest.

Females have one or two litters a year, giving birth to up to nine pups. She will only be pregnant for thirteen days, but the young will be attached to her nipples for almost two months. Virginia Opossums have a very short lifespan in the wold; most don't live much past 18 months.

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IUCN Status :  Least Concern

Location : United States and Mexico

Size : Body length up to 35in (89cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order : Didelphimorphia -- Family : Didelphidae -- Genus : Didelphis -- Species : D. virginiana

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Monito del Monte

Let's totally switch gears now for a second, and look at one of the amazing Marsupials found outside of Australia and New Guinea. ...But first, a sort of history lesson.

The only living member of Microbiotheria

The first Marsupial and Placental mammals diverged from each other over 110 million years ago. Keep in mind that the continents were not always placed where they are today. Way back, the Marsupial and Placental mammals moved about, but as continents separated and drifted, different groups became cut off from one another. Many of the Marsupial lineages died out, including those in Asia and Europe. One group, however, made it into South America before it split from the North. These animals had less competition from Placentals and were able to thrive for tens of millions of years.

And then after some time, around 60 to 50 million years ago, Marsupials made their way from South America, through Antarctica, to Australia. They diverged into many other Marsupial species, and created the wide variety of animals there that we have today.

Now eventually, North and South America rejoined, causing Placentals to move south and resulting in the extinction of many of the South American Marsupials. But there are still three orders left, including one whose sole living member we are (finally) going to talk about today, the Monito del Monte.

This creature is sometimes given the "living fossil" moniker because it is the only living species within Microbiotheria. Current science suggests that this order belongs to the same superorder (Australidelphia) that the Australian Marsupials do, as opposed to the superorder that encompasses the American Opossums.

Monito del Monte

The Monito del Monte has a name that essentially means "Mountain Monkey." They are arboreal Marsupials that can be found in Argentina and Chile. They have excellent little hands for grabbing and moving up in the trees, as well as a prehensile tail. The Monito del Monte is an omnivore that consumes insects and fruit; it can store fat reserves in the base of its tail to save up for hibernation.

The Monito del Monte is at risk because its habitat is becoming fragmented, and the population is on a decline.
habitats to better understand and protect the species.

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IUCN Status :  Near Threatened
Location : Chile and Argentina
Size : Body length up to 5in (13cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Superorder : Australidelphia -- Order : Microbiotheria -- Family: Microbiotheriidae
Genus : Dromiciops -- Species : D. gliroides

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Tiger Quoll

Dasyurus maculatus

When I wrote about the Tasmanian Devil a while back, I discovered that it was the world's largest living Marsupial carnivore. This then made me wonder what other types of Marsupial carnivores were out there. You always think about the herbivorous Koalas, Kangaroos, and Wombats, but what about the meat eaters?

Well look no further than the Quolls, an entire genus of almost cat-like predators that can be found in Australia and New Guinea. (There are other carnivorous Marsupials of course, but they are for another day).

The Tiger Quoll is the largest of all the Quolls by nearly 50% body size, and is also the largest Marsupial carnivore on the Australian mainland. They are also sometimes referred to as Spotted-Tail Quolls, which is entirely appropriate due to their spotted coats that pattern all the way down their tails.

Tiger Quoll or Spotted-Tail Quoll

Tiger Quolls hunt at night, feeding on birds, possums, reptiles, and even small Wallabies!They are able to climb trees, but they spend most of their time on the forest floor.

Females reach sexual maturity when they are a year old, and produce one litter of 4-6 every year. Tiger Quolls grow and age very quickly; young ones are completely independent from their mothers when they are only 18 weeks old.

Tiger Quolls are on a decreasing population trend due to habitat loss and fragmentation, predation from introduced dogs, and competition over food with other introduced species. Studies are being done of their diets and habitats to better understand and protect the species.

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IUCN Status :  Near Threatened
Location : Eastern Australia and Tasmania
Size : Body length up to 30in (75cm), Weight 8-15lbs (4-7kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order : Dasyuromorphia -- Family : Dasyuridae -- Genus : Dasyurus-- Species : D. maculatus

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Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Macropus giganteus

So now lets move from the largest Marsupial to ever live, to one of the largest living in the present day. The Eastern Grey Kangaroo is a commonly encountered Marsupial throughout Eastern Australia. They inhabit all sorts of areas, including grasslands, woodlands, and even sub-tropical forests.

Eastern Grey Kangaroos are distinguishable by their large size and short, greyish-brown fur. They have strong legs that allow them to hop at speeds of up to 35mph (56kph), and their tail provides them with excellent balance. Did you know that these Kangaroos can also cover 25ft (8m) in a single jump? And that they can also swim quite well too?

Adult

These large Marsupials are very social, and live in groups called mobs. Each mob is controlled by a dominant male, and contains younger males, females, and joeys. Males will fight over potential mates by boxing with one another; leaning back on their tails and kicking with their powerful hind legs.

Did you know that female Eastern Grey Kangaroos are nearly constantly pregnant once they hit sexual maturity? They go into heat again almost immediately after giving birth, but they cause the new embryo to stay dormant in its development until the older Joey is ready to leave the pouch.

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IUCN Status :  Least Concern
Location : Eastern Australia
Size : Height up to 6.6ft (2m), Weight up to 150lbs (68kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order : Diprotodontia -- Family : Macropodidae -- Genus : Macropus -- Species : M. giganteus

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Diprotodon

So based on the past two animals, we've learned that Marsupials evolved traits that were similar to those found in their placental counterparts. But did you also know that there were Marsupial Megafauna, similar to the gigantic animals found elsewhere in the world at around the same time?

While Mammoths roamed North America and Eurasia, and while giant Ground Sloths wandered about South America, Diprotodon made all of Australia its home. Also called "the Giant Wombat," Diprotodon was the largest Marsupial to have ever lived. These Wombat relatives were the size of a Hippopotamus!

Diprotodon

Diprotodons lived in open woodland and scrubland habitats, where they fed by browsing with help from their two large front teeth.. They also had large claws on their front feet, which suggests that they could also dig for food. Their pouches were most likely rear-opening, like in modern wombats. This kept the young safe from debris while the mother was digging.

Like most Megafauna, we aren't totally sure why the Diprotodon went extinct. It may have been a climate shift, but it may also have been human involvement. The time of their extinction coincides with the expansion of humans onto the continent, and tool marks have been found on some fossils. In all likelihood though, multiple causes led to the downfall of the world's largest marsupial. Wombats and Koalas carry on their legacy.. albeit in a much, much smaller form.

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Status : Extinct for around 45,000 years
Location : Australia
Size : Shoulder height 6.5ft (2m), weight 6,000lbs (2,700kg)
Classification : Phylum : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order : Diprotodontia -- Family : †Diprotodontidae -- Genus : †Diprotodon

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Sugar Glider

Petaurus breviceps

Oh the ever so adorable Sugar Glider. Did you know that these popular exotic pets are also members of team Marsupial? Like yesterday's Southern Marsupial Mole, Sugar Gliders are also a great example of convergent evolution. They closely resemble, and behave like, the flying Squirrels found around the world, yet they are actually Marsupial Possums! (Not to be confused with Opossums, but we'll cover those guys later in the week).

Wild Sugar Gliders are found in northern and eastern Australia, as well as in New Guinea. There are seven location-based subspecies.

Sugar Gliders are nocturnal and arboreal, and also never touch the ground! They have skin flaps between their front and back legs that allow them to glide as far as 325ft (100m), they also use their tails to help steer while in the air.

Sugar Gliders are  omnivores that feed on various nectar, gums, and saps, as well as on insects. The are very social, especially for marsupials, and live in groups of about half a dozen adults and their offspring. Huddling together helps to keep them warm when temperatures drop, though the species will also go into torpor if the weather gets especially cold.

Sugar Gliders have become popular exotic pets in recent years, but they are also traded illegally. If you have an interest in owning one of these little Marsupials, please keep in mind that they are expensive, require a large amount of space and a specialized diet, and have numerous other drawbacks. Please do your research carefully!

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IUCN Status :  Least Concern
Location : Australia and New Guinea
Size : Full length up to 13in (30cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia -- Family : Petauridae -- Genus : Petaurus-- Species : P. breviceps

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Southern Marsupial Mole

Marsupials are so amazing because they are their own separate group of mammals that evolved independently from the mammals found elsewhere in the world. Yet, at the same time, they are strikingly similar. The Southern Marsupial Mole is a fantastic example of convergent evolution, which is when two species develop the same or similar traits without actually being related.

Notoryctes typhlops

You see, though it looks like a Mole, has shoveling claws like a Mole, and burrows like a Mole, the Southern Marsupial Mole is no more closely related to placental Moles than it is to any other placental mammal.

Found in the sandy deserts of Australia, the Southern Marsupial Mole spends most of its time underground, though they do surface after rainfall. These amazing creatures have a few adaptations to make life in such a habitat workable. They have rear-opening pouches that prevent sand from being swept in while digging, they have ears that are hidden under layers of fur, and their eyes are only vestigial. Because why have eyes when you are underground all the time anyway?

Southern Marsupial Moles use their sense of smell to track out prey. They feed on insects and small reptiles.

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IUCN Status :  Data Deficient
Location : Central Australia
Size : Body length up to 7in (18cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia -- Order : Notoryctemorphia
Family : Notoryctidae -- Genus : Notoryctes -- Species : N. typhlops

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