MARSUPIA.LIA (ante), one of the two orders of non-placental mammals, includ ing the opossum and kangaroo. The other order, monotremata (q.v.), includes the orni thorhynchus, duck-mole or duck-bill (q.v.). The marsupialia, with the exception of the genus didelphys (opossums), are exclusively natives of Australia, Van Diemen's Land, NeW Guinea, and neighboring islands. They are divided into two primary sections, diprota dontia and polyprotodontia. Diprotodontia contains three sub-sections: 1. Rhizophaga, containing the wombat, a stout, heavy animal 2 or 3 ft. long, having curved, digging -claws upon the fore-feet, and a dentition resembling that of the herbivorous rodents. There are two incisors in each jaw, growing from permanent pulps. There are no ,eardnes, and the incisors and premolars are separated by a considerable space. Dental 0-0 1-1 4-4 formula: i, c pm fit 24 It is nocturnal in habits, feeding 1-1' ' 0-0' ' 1-1' ' 4--4 upon roots and grass in Australia and Tasmania. 2. Poephaga. This section contains the kangaroo (q v.) (macropodida) and the kangaroo-rat (hyp8iprymnus). The kangaroo rots differ from the true kangaroo in their smaller size and well-developed upper canines, ar.d also in having scaly tails, like the opossums. The dental formula of the kangaroo is: 3-3 0-0 4-4 c., pin , m., --=28. 3. Carpophaga. The typical animals of this 1-1' 0-0 '1-1' 4-4 section are the phalangers, so called from the fact that the second and third digits of the ,hind-feet are united almost to their extremities (see PrtAktkivoEn and PLYING-PTIALANGER, .ante). Intermediate between the phalangers and the kangaroos is the kangaroo-bear of the colonists, or the koala (q v.) or phascolarctos, whose dental formula is . c 1-1 4--4 1-1' " 0-0' _pm., M., =W.
1-1' 4-4 The second primary section, polyprotodontia, contains two sub-sections. 1 Ento mophaga, which contains the bandicoot (q.v.), the opossum (q.v.), and the banded ant eater. The dental formula of the bandicoot is: i., c pm m 4-4-48 3-3' 1-1' 3-5 ' ' 5-5 The dental formula in the opossum is: i , -- c., pm 3-3 m 4-4=50 The 4-4' 1i' 3-3' banded ant-eater, myrmecotlius fasciatus, is a small, rather pretty animal of south-western Australia, dittoing from the other didelphidce in not having a prehensile tail. The fore
feet have five toes, while the hind-feet have but four each. It has a number of light and .dark bands across its back. These animals are remarkable for the number of their molar teeth, having more than any other marsupial and exceeded only by some of the arma .dillos. Their dental formula is: i , 4-4 c 1-1 vm m 2 Sar :3-3' 1-1' - ' 3-3' ' 6-6 eophaga. This sub-section includes a number of animals which, unlike most of the order, are carnivorous and very rapacious. The best known are thylacinue cynocephalu8, or the Tasmanian wolf (see THYLACINE, ante), the dasyurus ursinu,s, or ursine opossum, also called " devil," " wildcat," and " hyena" by the settlers (see DASYURE, ante), and also the dasyurus macrame, or long-tailed dasyure, sometimes erroneously called the spotted marten, a name given to it in Phillips's Voyage. It somewhat resembles the weasel and marten in form, but is more clumsy, although exceedingly vigorous, active, and ferocious. They were very troublesome to the first settlers, as was also the ursine ,opossum, or " devil," committing various depredations.
The marsupials are regarded as the earliest developed 'mammals whose fossils have loeen discovered, although there is some uncertainty. The oldest known European mam mal is the microlestes antiguus of the upper triassic formation, only the teeth of which have been found, and it is believed to have been a marsupial and related to the banded .ant-eater. The two jaw-bones of an allied animal were found in the trias of North America by Prof. Emmons several years ago, and in the opinion of Prof. Owen they belonged to an insectivorous marsupial also allied to the banded ant-eater. In the stone field slate of the lower oolitic formation a great share of the mammalian remains belong to the small marsupials. In the upper oolite the remains are chiefly marsupial, of the size of a hedgehog and smaller. Fossil marsupialia, allied to the opossum, have been ,found in Europe in eocene and miocene, and also in the upper Jurassic of North America.