Articles tagged with Marsupials
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A new study describes an early marsupial relative called Didelphodon vorax with the strongest bite force of any mammal ever recorded. It had a powerful bite and could eat a variety of foods, including small dinosaurs.
A study published in Scientific Reports found that conservation-sensitive Australasian marsupials are much older than previously thought, with some species dating back over 25 million years. The research suggests that these ancient animals were able to adapt to changing environments and survive climate change.
A new, tiny species of extinct Australian marsupial lion has been named Microleo attenboroughi, weighing only about 600 grams. It shared its ancient rainforest community with two larger species of marsupial lions, suggesting it may have specialised on a different size range of prey.
The study found that the marsupial lion's elbow joint had a unique rotational capacity, similar to arboreal mammals, but also features not seen in living climbers. The researchers suggest this allowed the animal to use its dew claw to kill prey. The incisors were blunt and functioned better for gripping than piercing flesh.
A new species of extinct flesh-eating marsupial, Whollydooleya tomnpatrichorum, has been identified from a fossil discovery in New Riversleigh, Queensland. The hypercarnivore is thought to have weighed around 20-25 kilograms and lived during the Late Miocene period, around 5 million years ago.
A team of Australian researchers has discovered the fossilized remains of a bizarre group of carnivorous marsupials that lived 15 million years ago. The newly found species, Malleodectes mirabilis, had an insatiable appetite for snails and was characterized by its powerful hammer-like premolar.
Wild kangaroos show a consistent preference for using their left hands for actions like grooming and picking leaves. The finding expands our understanding of handedness in animals and may offer insights into neuropsychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and autism.
A recent study reveals that many metatherian mammals, including marsupials like opossums, nearly went extinct alongside the dinosaurs. This allowed advanced placental mammals to rise to dominance and become ubiquitous across the globe today.
Scientists reconstructed the skull of Nimbacinus dicksoni and found that it had a high bite force for its size, suggesting it could hunt vertebrate prey exceeding its own body mass. The research suggests that Nimbacinus dicksoni was an opportunistic hunter with potential prey including birds, frogs, and other marsupials.
Researchers have discovered a new species of marsupial in Queensland's Springbrook National Park, the Black-tailed Antechinus. The highly sexed mouse-like marsupial is threatened due to its unique mating behavior, which causes males to die before reproducing.
Researchers found wallabies have dichromatic colour vision like dogs, but lack a third colour-sensitive receptor. The 'Neutral Point' colour stimulates confusion in wallabies, unlike other marsupials.
The analysis of fossil kangaroo teeth reveals a diverse prehistoric habitat in southeastern Queensland, including tropical forests, wetlands, and grasslands. The findings suggest that extinct marsupials occupied specialized dietary niches, contradicting previous assumptions about the region's aridity.
A team of researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand analyzed the movement patterns of bipedal kangaroos and wallabies, comparing them to quadrupedal marsupials. They found that bipedal marsupials experience greater joint forces in their hind limbs, which provides insight into the structural uniqueness of these joints.
Research on sugar gliders and grey short-tailed opossums reveals a distinct pattern of handedness based on gender. Unlike other mammals, quadruped marsupials show reversed sex-related handedness, with males being right-handed and females left-handed, particularly for more complex tasks.
Researchers found that wallabies regulate growth of their young by selectively imprinted insulin gene, similar to human placenta. Insulin expression in mammary gland increases after birth, indicating critical role for genomic imprinting in post-natal growth.
Researchers at Brown University study thylacine bones and find they were solitary, ambush-style predators, unlike dogs that hunt in packs. Their unique arm structure allowed for subduing prey after surprise attacks, differing from other large canid species.
Researchers found that marsupial embryos develop forelimbs earlier than expected, using a unique genetic program. This breakthrough suggests that developmental processes may be more flexible than previously thought, allowing for adaptability in marsupials.
A 20 million-year-old fossil discovery in Australia's rainforests sheds light on the origins of marsupial moles. The find suggests that these animals evolved from a common ancestor with placental mammals, such as rats and humans, through a unique evolutionary pathway.
Research reveals that Australian marsupials descended from a single ancestral South American species, suggesting a simplified migration scenario across Antarctica. The study used retroposon markers to reconstruct the marsupial family tree and confirm this finding.
Researchers will deploy NSF/NCAR Gulfstream V research aircraft to gather data on tropical storms that may become hurricanes. By understanding these storms' formation, scientists can help the National Hurricane Center attain five- or seven-day hurricane forecasts.
Researchers have unearthed hundreds of fossils of the extinct Nimbadon lavarackorum at a 15-million-year-old cave site in Queensland. The discovery provides a rare glimpse into the life cycle of this ancient marsupial, from baby to elderly adult, and sheds light on the evolution of Australia's unique flora and fauna.
Mammals that spend most of their time in trees have longer lifespans than those on the ground, according to a new study. The researchers found that arboreality reduces extrinsic mortality, leading to longer lifespans.
Skull fragments of prehistoric koalas from the Riversleigh rainforests suggest they had a 'lazy' lifestyle and produced loud calls like modern koalas. However, they did not share the specialized eucalyptus leaf diet.
A University of Florida researcher has co-authored a study tracing the evolution of modern opossums back to the extinction of dinosaurs, with evidence supporting North America as their center of origin. The findings are based on high-resolution CT scans of a 55-million-year-old skull found in Wyoming.
Research published in Nature Genetics reveals that marsupials and humans share an identical genetic imprinting mechanism that evolved 150 million years ago. This discovery helps determine how the mechanism works and what can be done to prevent human diseases related to genetic imprinting.
A new study confirms Djarthia, Australia's earliest known marsupial, is a primitive relative of the Monito del Monte, a South American marsupial also believed to be a living fossil. The findings suggest the Monito del Monte may have returned to Australia from South America before Gondwana broke up.
The marsupial lion's 'bolt-cutter' type teeth allowed for rapid killing of prey, while African lions used a 'clamp and hold' technique that could take up to 15 minutes. Research suggests the marsupial lion was an efficient predator that could inflict mortal wounds on large prey.
The first marsupial genome sequence has been published, providing new insights into human evolution and the origins of the human genome. The study found that most genetic innovations leading to the human genome sequence lie in areas referred to as 'junk' DNA, highlighting the importance of non-gene regions in shaping mammalian genomes.
The gray, short-tailed opossum's genome reveals insights into connections between humans and other species, as well as the evolution of mobile elements. Mobile elements make up about 52% of the opossum genome, with distinct compositional differences compared to primate genomes.
The opossum genome sequence has provided significant insights into the evolution of the mammalian immune system, revealing similarities with human immune-related genes. The sequence also revealed ancient DNA elements that have been recruited for specific biological activities, such as regulating gene expression.
Researchers found that marsupials have a version of trichromatic color vision distinct from primates, with sensitivity to UV wavelengths. The study provides new insights into the evolution of mammalian color vision.
The genetic code of marsupials has been documented for the first time, revealing insights into mammalian immune system evolution. The analysis of the gray, short-tailed opossum's genome found that an important cluster of immune genes, known as MHC, was likely present in ancestral mammals and has since fragmented into multiple chromosomes.
Scientists uncover new fossils of Deltatheridium, an early relative of marsupials, providing unprecedented insight into the evolutionary split between marsupials and placental mammals. The discovery sheds light on the origins of modern marsupials in Asia.