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Mammalogy. > Marsupials. > Flashcards

Marsupials. Flashcards

(45 cards)

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1
Q

What subclass of mammals are marsupials placed into?

A

Metatheria.

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2
Q

A. How many orders are marsupials made up of?
B. How many orders are marsupials made up of?
BQ: How many species?

A

A. Orders - 6.
B. Families - 18.
BQ: 282sp

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3
Q

Can you name the 7 orders?
BQ: Can you list the number of families in each order?

A
  1. Didelphimorphia (BQ: 1) - American opossum.
  2. Paucituberculata (BQ: 1) - Marsupial shrews/rat opossums.
  3. Microbiotheria (BQ: 1) - Monito del monte.
  4. Dasyuromorphia (BQ: 3) - Marsupial carnivores.
  5. Peramelemorpha (BQ: 2) - Bandicoots and bilibies.
  6. Diprotodontia (BQ: 9) - Diprotodonts (having two lower front teeth).
  7. Notoryctemorphia (BQ: 1) - Marsupial mole.
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4
Q

Can you name the family belonging to Dildelphimorphia (american opossum)?

A

Deldilphidae.

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5
Q

Can you name the family belonging to Paucituberculata (marsupial shrews/rat opossums)?

A

Caenolestidae.

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6
Q

Can you name the family belonging to Microbiotheria (monito del monte)?

A

Microbiotheriidae.

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7
Q

Can you name the 3 families belonging to Dasyuromorphia (marsupial carnivores)?
BQ: Can you name which animals belong to which family?

A
  1. Dasyuridae (BQ: antechinus, quolls, Tazmainian devil).
  2. Thylacinidae (BQ: Thylacine).
  3. Myrmecobidae (BQ: numbat).
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8
Q

Can you name the 2 families belonging to Peramelemorphia (bandicoots and bilibies)?
BQ: Can you name which animals belong to which family?

A
  1. Peramelidae (BQ: dry-country bandicoots and bilibies).
  2. Peroryctidae (BQ: Rainforest bandicoot).
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9
Q

Can you name the 9 families belonging to Dasyuromorphia (diprotodonts)?
BQ: Can you name which animals belong to which family?

A
  1. Pseudocheiridae (BQ: ring tail possums).
  2. Tarsipedidae (BQ: honey possum).
  3. Burramyidae (BQ: pygmy possoms and pygmy gliders).
  4. Phalangeridae (BQ: cuscuses, phalangers).
  5. Phasocolarctidae (BQ: koalas).
  6. Petauridae (BQ: gliders and striped possums).
  7. Vombatidae (BQ: wombats).
  8. Macropodidae (BQ: Kangaroos, wallabies, potoroos).
  9. Acrobatidae (BQ: feather tail possum).
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10
Q

Can you name the family belonging to Notoryctemorphia (marsupual mole)?

A

Notoryctidae.

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11
Q

Name 6 identifiers of marsupial skull morphology (differences to eutherian)?

A
  1. The auditory bullae is not always present.
  2. Large palatal vaculities (holes) present in the palet (fenestrated).
  3. Angular process of the dentition is deflected (bent).
  4. Braincase is small and narrow.
  5. Large jugal - it extends posteriorally to a greater extent than eutherians.
  6. The brain is smaller and simpler than eutherian mammals, and lacks a corpus callosum.
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12
Q

Name 4 characteristics of marsupial dentition.

A
  1. All marsupials (bar wombats) have more insisors on the upper jaw.
  2. Most have more teeth than the average eutherian (who have about 44, where as the american opossum has 50).
  3. The cheek teeth are usually 3/3 4/4 (in eutherians they are often 4/4 3/3).
  4. 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).
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13
Q

Name 5 characteristics of the marsupials post-cranial skeleton.

A
  1. They have epipubic bones in the body wall (etenting anterioaly from the pelvis).
  2. A variety of limb formes; most are plantigrade, some are digitigrade.
  3. One species of didelphid (the water opossum) has webbed hind feet and lives a semi aquatic life style.
  4. Hallux (big toe) is clawless in all marsupials.
  5. Syndactylous toes - found in two orders (diprotodontia and peramelemorphia). the second and third digits of the hindfeet are fused.
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14
Q

What percentage of female marsupials have a pouch?
BQ: Which familiy all have pouches?

A

50%
BQ: Macropodidae.

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15
Q

What weight do marsupial neonates not surpass?

A

> 1g.

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16
Q

How are fat reserves transfered to the neonate?

A

Via lactation.

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17
Q

On average, how long is gestation?

A

8-34 days.

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18
Q

Reproduction.
What do female metatherians have that eutherians do not?

A

Marsupials have a double reproductive tract.

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19
Q

Describe female marsupial reproductive anatomy.

Study These Flashcards
A

Unfused, left and right uteri.
Lateral vaginae.
Transient or perniment central birth canal.

20
Q

Describe male marsupial reproductive anatomy.

Study These Flashcards
A

The penis is positioned behind the testies.
Most species bifurcate (not macrapods).

21
Q

Diprotodontia.
What does diprotodontia refer to?
BQ: What other order have this?

Study These Flashcards
A

It refers to diprotodont dentition.
Two elongated lower incisors.
BQ: Paucituberculata.

22
Q

Diprotodontia.
Where are they found?

Study These Flashcards
A

Australian faunal region - Tasmania and islands to the north (New Guinea)).
Some introduced as pests in New Zealand (brushtailed possum)

23
Q

Diprotodontia.
Name 3 characteristics of diprotodonts.

Study These Flashcards
A
  1. All possess a marsupium (pouch).
  2. Second and third digits of hindfoot are syndactylous.
  3. lover incisors are diprotodont.
24
Q

Diprotodontia.
What is the difference between syndactylous and schizodactylous?

Study These Flashcards
A

Syn - The second and third toe are fused (two bones, skin fused).
Sch - The first two digists oppose the other three (not fused).

25
Diprotodontia. Can you name 6 folivory adaptations within pseudocheridae? BQ: What animals does pseudocheridae include, can you name 3 species?
1. Enlarged caecum (for microbial fermentation of high cellulous diet). 2. Well developed molars - selenodont (cresent-shaped ridges). 3. Slow movement (conserve energy). 4. Small litter sizes (^^). 5. Corpography (reingest faeces). 6. Medium - large in size. BQ: Ring-tailed possums and greater glider. Common ringtail, Herbert river ringtail, greater glider.
26
Diprotodontia. Name 5 characteristics of burramyidae. BQ: What animals does burramyidae include, can you name 2 species?
1. Specialised group of arboreal nectivores. 2. Diet of nector, pollen, insects, fruit and seeds. 3. High nitrogen diet = larger litter sizes. 4. Extreem mobility for easy access to flowers. 5. Small in size. BQ: Pygmy possums. Eastern pygmy possum, little pygmy possum.
27
Diprotodontia. Name 3 characteristics of petauridae. BQ: What animals does petrauridae include, can you name 2 species?
1. Arboreal exucivores (gums and saps from trees). 2. Peturid possums are small - medium in size. 3. Gliding is achieved using patagium (gliding membrane). BQ: Spriped possums and gliding possums. Striped possum and sugar glider.
28
Diprotodontia. Name 7 characteristics of tarsipedidae. BQ: What animal does tarsipedidae include, can you give both names gieven to the species?
1. Nectar and pollen specialist. 2. Reduced dentition (2/1 1/0 1/0 3/3). 3. Long protrusible tongue, with brushlike tip. 4. Small in size - smallest mammal (neonates weigh 0.0005g). 5. Enters torpor during cold weather to conserve energy. 6. Females breed whenever conditions are favourable. 7. Larger testies (sperm competition). BQ: Honey Possum or noolbenger.
29
Diprotodontia. What is another species, like the honey possum, that has big testies?
Chimps.
30
Diprotodontia. What animals does petrauridae include, can you name both species?
Fethertail possum and feahter tail glider.
31
Diprotodontia. Name 2 dental characteristics of petauridae. BQ: What animals does petrauridae include, can you name 3 species?
1. Enlarged last lower premolar. 2. Tooth projects above the level of other cheek teeth. BQ: cuscus and brushtailed possum. Grey cuscus, spotted cuscus, dwarf cuscus.
32
Diprotodontia. Can you name the animals belonging to Potoridae? BQ: Can you name 4 species?
1. Musky rat kangaroo. 2. Burrowing bettong. 3. Long footed potoro. 4. Brushtailed bettong.
33
Diprotodontia. What aniamls belong to macropodidae? BQ: What are they adapted for?
Kangaroos and wallavies. BQ: Saltatorial/recochetal locomotion (bounding/jumping).
34
Diprotodontia. Which is the largest marsupial family? BQ: How many genera and species are there?
Macropodidae. BQ: g - 11, sp - 54.
35
Diprotodontia. What species belongs to Phascolarctidae? BQ: What is the term used for a family with only one species?
Koalas. BQ: Monotypic family.
36
Diprotodontia. List 4 characteristics of Vombatidae. What animals belong to vombatidae, can you name 2 species?
1. Stocky, vestigial tails, bear like. 2. Dental formular - 1/1, 0/0, 1/1, 4/4. 3. Large, semifossorial burrowing herbivores. 4. Low metabolic rate. BQ: Wombats. Common wombats and hairynosed wombats.
37
Dasyuromorphia. Name 2 characteristics of Thylacinidae. BQ: What is the other name used for the tylacine?
1. Largest marsupial carnivore. 2. Extinct 2000 years ago. BQ: Tazmainian tiger.
38
Dasyuromorphia. Name 2 characteristics of myrmecobiidae. BQ: Can you name the species within the family?
1. Found in Southwest western Australia. 2. Diet consisting of termites. BQ: Numbat.
39
Dasyuromorphia. What animals make up dasyuridae? BQ: Can you name 3 species?
Antechinus, kowari, quolls, and tazmanian devil. BQ: Eastern spotted quoll, brushtailed phascogale, and antechinus.
40
Dasyuromorphia. Name 2 characteristics of myrmecobiidae. BQ: Can you name the species within the family?
41
Deldilphimorphia. What family are the American opossums apart of?
Deldilphidae.
42
Paucituberculata. What family are the marsupial shrews/rat possums apart of?
Caenoleestidae.
43
Microbiotheria. What family are the montito del monte apart of?
Microbiotheriidae.
44
Nototyctemorphia. What family are the marsupial moles apart of?
Notorycidae.
45
Peramelemorphia. What 2 families are the bandicoots and bilibies apart of?
Peremelidae. Peroryctidae.

Mammalogy. (6 decks)

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