Dasyuromorphia ( ) is an order comprising most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials. The order contains four families: Myrmecobiidae, with just a single living species, the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus); Thylacinidae, with one recently extinct species, the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and several fossil species; Dasyuridae, with 73 extant species, including quolls, dunnarts, and the Tasmanian devil; and the extinct fossil family Malleodectidae with six genera.
Description The body size of dasyuromorphs varies considerably, from only in long-tailed planigale, which is the smallest living marsupial, up to in the recently extinct thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus). They show considerable morphological diversity, including the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger), which is adapted for hopping locomotion. Members of the group are mostly carnivorous, either feeding on vertebrate prey or arthropods such as insects. The lower molar teeth of dasyuromorphs typically show a carnassial-like morphology. Members of this order are monophyodont, meaning they only have one set of teeth throughout their lives. Each erupting molar must function as a carnassial, before being pushed forward in the jaw by the next erupting molar. Because of this, dasyuromorphs are prevented from adapting some molars for other functions, which may have restricted their diversity relative to carnivorans.
Phylogeny Overall phylogeny of Dasyuromorphia (greatly truncated) after Kealy et al. 2017: Upham et al. 2019Álvarez-Carretero et al. 2022
See also List of mammal genera List of recently extinct mammals List of prehistoric mammals
References
External links Dasyuromorphia on Animal Diversity Web