The differences between this carnivorous marsupial and the saber-toothed tigers, however, were significant. In Australia, more types of marsupial animals exist than anywhere else. Young marsupials are born blind, hairless and are extremely tiny. Marsupials probably evolved in North America, expanded into South America and the Pacific rim of Asia. They are also found in South and Central America. Theories for this isolation have always been in quest. They’re found in much of Mexico and the eastern United States, and also along the Pacific Coast. South America and Antarctica remained connected until 35 mya, as shown by the unique fossils found there. Several marsupials reside in South America, whereas North America only hosts one, which is the common opossum. Isolated from the rest of the world for tens of millions of years, the animals of prehistoric South America evolved down their own path. In due course of time, most marsupials moved from the South to live in North America and most of … Although it sounds like it should be directly related to modern hyenas, Borhyaena was actually a large, predatory marsupial of South America (which witnessed more than its share of these pouched mammals 20 or 25 million years ago). Subcategories This category has the following 4 subcategories, out of 4 total. That is why marsupials now found native only on the southern continents of Australasia and South and Central America, with the single exception of the Virginia opossum. South America hasn’t been isolated for as long as Australia has, so there aren’t as many marsupials there. Subcategories. This list may not reflect recent changes ( learn more ). Marsupials were excluded in turn from large herbivore niches in South America by the presence of native placental ungulates (now extinct) and xenarthrans (whose largest forms are also extinct). Nevertheless, there are more marsupials in South America than there are in any place except Australia. South American marsupials discovered to reach new heights by Ecological Society of America A monito del monte peers down from a tree. The American marsupials are now assigned to two families, the Didelphidae (the opossums), Order Didelphimorphia, which occur in both North and South America,and the Caenolestidae (the shrew opossums), Order Paucituberculata, found only in South America. Marsupials diverged from Eutherian mammals approximately 90 million years ago. Marsupials of South America — marsupial mammals of South America, within the Didelphimorphia order endemic to the Americas. There are several more marsupials in central and South America, such as the yapok, a type of water-opossum. Marsupials and other metatherians apparently arrived in South America before the beginning of the Paleogene, at the end of the Cretaceous. The earliest relatives of Australian marsupials… Marsupials of South America — marsupial mammals of South America, within the Didelphimorphia order endemic to the Americas. Or is totally unaware that there isn’t continent between “North America” and South America. So when you see someone saying that Virginia opossums are the sole representatives of marsupials on this continent, realize that this person hasn’t thought through what he or she is actually saying.