Tag

Marsupials

All articles tagged with #marsupials

science21 days ago•11 min saved

Ancient fossil-only marsupials rediscovered alive in New Guinea with museum and Indigenous aid

Two marsupials known only from fossils, the ring-tailed glider Tous ayamaruensis and the pygmy long-fingered possum Dactylonax kambuayai, have been confirmed alive in New Guinea’s Vogelkop Peninsula. The confirmation came from a misfiled Australian Museum specimen, rare field photographs, fossil comparisons, and crucial knowledge from Tambrauw and Maybrat Indigenous elders, with the findings published in Records of the Australian Museum. The discovery underscores the Vogelkop as an ancient relic landscape and reinforces habitat protection to safeguard these Lazarus taxa.

via Space Daily|

#conservation #lazarus-taxa #marsupials

science3 months ago•2 min saved

Two Lazarus marsupials reappear in New Guinea after millennia

Two marsupials once known only from fossils — the pygmy long-fingered possum (Dactylonax kambuayai) and the ring-tailed glider (Tous ayamaruensis) — were rediscovered alive in New Guinea, earning Lazarus taxa status; the glider is placed in a new genus Tous in honor of local Indigenous communities, highlighting collaboration with Traditional Owners and the persistence of life in isolated forests.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#fossil-record #lazarus-taxa #marsupials

science4 months ago•6 min saved

Ancient Marsupials Reemerge in New Guinea After 6,000 Years

Researchers have rediscovered two marsupial species—the pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider—in New Guinea, after about 6,000 years of presumed extinction. Documented in studies led by Tim Flannery, the finds label them Lazarus taxa and underscore New Guinea’s role as a haven for ancient biodiversity. The work also spotlights urgent conservation needs amid deforestation and wildlife trade, with Indigenous communities aiding in locating and identifying these species.

via Indian Defence Review|

#conservation #lazarus-taxa #marsupials

biology2 years ago•2 min saved

"Sleepless and Sex-Obsessed: The Short Lives of Tiny Male Marsupials"

Male antechinus, a type of marsupial, sacrifice sleep during their short and intense breeding season to maximize mating opportunities, with some dying shortly after. Research found that captive males slept significantly less during breeding season, and wild males and females showed decreased oxalic acid levels, indicating sleep deprivation. While sleep loss was initially suspected as the cause of death, further investigation is needed to determine the exact cause, with malnutrition and environmental triggers being potential factors.

via Nature.com|

#biology #breeding-season #marsupials

science2 years ago•3 min saved

"Sleepless and Sex-Obsessed: The Short Lives of Male Marsupials"

Male antechinus, small marsupials in Australia, sacrifice sleep for increased reproductive activities during mating season, with some sleeping three hours less per night for three weeks. This extreme sleep restriction is driven by strong sexual selection, as males can only breed once in their lifetime before dying shortly after their first mating season. The study, published in Current Biology, is the first to show direct evidence of such behavior in a land-dwelling mammal. Researchers found that increased sexual activity during mating season is positively related to increases in testosterone, and males may have unknown mechanisms to thrive on less sleep during this time.

via CNN|

#animal-behavior #marsupials #mating-season

biology2 years ago•3 min saved

"Sleepless and Sex-Obsessed: The Short Lives of Tiny Male Marsupials"

Male antechinuses sacrifice sleep to mate with as many females as possible during an intense breeding period, then die in a single "programmed" event. Research suggests they may die from a surge in hormone levels, making them more susceptible to infections and parasites. Female antechinuses survive longer and may benefit from the males' deaths as a food source. Cannibalism has been observed in these marsupials, but much remains to be learned about their behavior and resilience to extreme sleep deprivation.

via Livescience.com|

#biology #cannibalism #marsupials

science3 years ago•2 min saved

Marsupials Outpace Humans in Evolution, Study Shows

New research shows that marsupial evolution might actually be further along than even humans. By looking at how marsupials compare to the common therian ancestor from 160 million years ago, researchers say skull development slowed and shifted in marsupials. Additionally, they found that the way marsupials develop is actually far more changed from our common therian ancestor than the way that humans and other placental developing mammals have changed.

via BGR|

#development #evolution #mammals

science3 years ago•4 min saved

Marsupials: The Most Evolved Mammals?

A new study challenges the idea that marsupials are more 'primitive' than mammals by showing their development has changed more than mammals since they last shared an ancestor. The findings suggest that the extremely young age of marsupial births represents the more specialized type of development that required greater changes in traits compared to our shared ancestor than our strategy of allowing young to develop within us for longer. The changes most likely reflect environmental demands or lack thereof.

via ScienceAlert|

#ancestral-traits #development #evolution

neuroscience3 years ago•3 min saved

Insights into Human Neurodevelopment from Marsupial Brains

Researchers have found that the neural activity patterns in the Australian fat-tailed dunnart, a marsupial species, resemble those in the human brain during gestation. This could help improve our understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study also provides an unprecedented opportunity to delve into the earliest stages of brain evolution.

via Neuroscience News|

#autism-spectrum-disorder #brain-development #human-neurodevelopment

science3 years ago•5 min saved

Are Marsupials the Most Evolved Mammals?

New research suggests that marsupials are the more evolved mammals, overturning the longstanding belief that they are more primitive than placental mammals. The study analyzed skulls during different stages of development in 22 living mammal species and found that the ancestor of both groups was more similar to placentals than to marsupials, meaning that marsupials have modified their method of reproduction more than placentals have. Marsupials give birth to highly underdeveloped young, which is thought to be a better strategy for living with environmental instability.

via Phys.org|

#ancestor #evolution #marsupials

science3 years ago•3 min saved

Are Pouched Mammals More Evolved Than Humans?

A new study suggests that mammals with pouches, such as kangaroos and koalas, have a more radical evolutionary history than previously thought, indicating that they are "more evolved" than placental mammals like humans. The researchers scanned the skulls of placental mammals and marsupials in various stages of development and concluded that the developmental strategy of placental mammals is closer to that of their common ancestor, suggesting that marsupials have evolved more than placental mammals since the split. The study challenges the historical misconception that marsupials are less successful intermediates.

via Livescience.com|

#common-ancestor #developmental-strategy #evolution

science3 years ago•2 min saved

The Unique Vision of the Sabertooth Thylacosmilus

The saber-toothed marsupial Thylacosmilus atrox compensated for its massive canines by having surprisingly wide-set eyes, more typical of cows and horses than carnivorous animals. The predator's ocular layout corrected for its eye sockets' position by having them stick out from the skull and orienting them vertically, improving its orbital overlap. Thylacosmilus was an ambush predator, and the exact utility of its dagger-like canines is elusive. The marsupial likely died out around 3 million years ago.

via Gizmodo|

#evolution #marsupials #predators