| Abstract: | Metatherian (marsupial) and eutherian (placental) mammals are end members of a complex, possibly common North American1-4 or, less likely, a South American5 stock that diverged before the early late Cretaceous and underwent separate adaptive radiations establishing them as the two dominant mammalian groups (subclass Theria). By the later Cretaceous, marsupials were well situated in North America3 and were also present in South America6. Their oldest occurrences in Antarctica (later Eocene 7) and Australia (Oligocene8) are artefacts of exceptionally poor fossil records of mammals on those continents and it is clear that the Metatheria must have been quite diverse in both areas (physically connected in pre-Eocene times9) very much earlier5,7. Marsupials probably did not reach Europe much before their earliest record there in the early Eocene10. The Metatheria have not been identified from Asia, nor until now from Africa. We now report the discovery of the first fossil remains of a didelphid marsupial in Oligocene rocks in North Africa. ?? 1984 Nature Publishing Group. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70013410 |
| Citation Author: | Bown, T. M.; Simons, E. L. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | |
| Citation Datum: | |
| Citation Day: | |
| Citation Edition: | |
| Citation Editor: | |
| Citation End Page: | 449 |
| Citation Issue: | 5958 |
| Citation Keywords: | |
| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Nature |
| Citation LatN: | |
| Citation LatS: | |
| Citation LonE: | |
| Citation LonW: | |
| Citation Month: | |
| Citation No Pagination: | |
| Citation Number Of Pages: | 3 |
| Citation Online Only Flag: | |
| Citation Phsyical Description: | |
| Citation Projection: | |
| Citation Public Comments: | |
| Citation Publisher: | |
| Citation Series: | |
| Citation Series Code: | |
| Citation Series Number: | |
| Citation Search Results Text: | First record of marsupials (Metatheria: Polyprotodonta) from the Oligocene in Africa; 1984; Article; Journal; Nature; Bown, T. M.; Simons, E. L. |
| Citation Start Page: | 447 |
| Citation Volume: | 308 |
| Citation Year: | 1984 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | First record of marsupials (Metatheria: Polyprotodonta) from the Oligocene in Africa; 1984; Article; Journal; Nature; Bown, T. M.; Simons, E. L. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/308447a0 |
| Date Other: | Sun, 1 Jan 1984 00:00 -0600 |
| Publisher: | |
