Metatheria

Metatheria is a mammalian clade that includes all mammals more closely related to marsupials than to placentals. First proposed by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1880, it is a more inclusive group than the marsupials; it contains all marsupials as well as many extinct non-marsupial relatives. It is one of two groups placed in the clade Theria alongside Eutheria, which contains the placentals. Remains of metatherians have been found on all of Earth's continents.

Metatheria

Ghedoghedo · Public Domain · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
metatherianPBDB
Sits inside
TheriaPBDB
Diet
omnivorePBDB
Life habit
scansorialPBDB, for Theria
Motility
actively mobilePBDB, for Osteichthyes
Environment
terrestrialPBDB, for Mammalia

Time the record covers

At least 110 million years on record.

The record covers at least 110.1 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 121.4 Mya to 0 Mya.

Early Cretaceous — about 22 of 4857 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 784 of 4857 occurrencesLate CretaceousPaleocene — about 118 of 4857 occurrencesEocene — about 828 of 4857 occurrencesEoceneOligocene — about 375 of 4857 occurrencesOligoceneMiocene — about 819 of 4857 occurrencesMiocenePliocene — about 356 of 4857 occurrencesPleistocene — about 1430 of 4857 occurrences124–120 Mya — about 0.3 occurrences120–116 Mya — about 7 occurrences116–111 Mya — about 7 occurrences111–107 Mya — about 4 occurrences107–103 Mya — about 2 occurrences103–99 Mya — about 11 occurrences99–95 Mya — about 29 occurrences95–91 Mya — about 24 occurrences91–87 Mya — about 8 occurrences87–83 Mya — about 59 occurrences83–78 Mya — about 96 occurrences78–74 Mya — about 96 occurrences74–70 Mya — about 184 occurrences70–66 Mya — about 275 occurrences66–62 Mya — about 65 occurrences62–58 Mya — about 34 occurrences58–54 Mya — about 106 occurrences54–50 Mya — about 152 occurrences50–45 Mya — about 143 occurrences45–41 Mya — about 149 occurrences41–37 Mya — about 173 occurrences37–33 Mya — about 156 occurrences33–29 Mya — about 112 occurrences29–25 Mya — about 156 occurrences25–21 Mya — about 146 occurrences21–17 Mya — about 393 occurrences17–12 Mya — about 184 occurrences12–8.3 Mya — about 85 occurrences8.3–4.1 Mya — about 253 occurrences4.1–0 Mya — about 1747 occurrences110.1 Mya11.7 ka124 Mya0 Mya

4,857 occurrences of Metatheria on record, most of them in the Pleistocene. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

4,857 occurrences

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. More on what this infers.

Found in

307 formations

Santa Cruz — 51.02°S, 69.15°WSanta Cruz — 51.20°S, 69.12°WSanta Cruz — 50.32°S, 68.90°WSanta Cruz — 50.35°S, 69.03°WSanta Cruz — 50.85°S, 69.13°WSanta Cruz — 50.60°S, 69.08°WSanta Cruz — 51.57°S, 69.42°WSanta Cruz — 51.57°S, 69.47°WSanta Cruz — 48.52°S, 69.72°WSanta Cruz — 50.05°S, 70.44°WSanta Cruz — 50.00°S, 70.00°WSanta Cruz — 50.16°S, 69.67°WSanta Cruz — 50.55°S, 69.22°WSanta Cruz — 51.05°S, 69.13°WSanta Cruz — 50.43°S, 69.08°WSanta Cruz — 50.05°S, 71.78°WSanta Cruz — 47.50°S, 71.88°WSanta Cruz — 50.75°S, 69.18°WSanta Cruz — 51.33°S, 69.02°WSanta Cruz — 51.35°S, 69.00°WSanta Cruz — 50.28°S, 70.28°WSanta Cruz — 50.28°S, 70.22°WSanta Cruz — 49.56°S, 70.06°WHell Creek — 47.55°N, 107.12°WHell Creek — 47.63°N, 106.20°WHell Creek — 47.62°N, 107.32°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 107.00°WHell Creek — 47.80°N, 106.10°WHell Creek — 47.65°N, 106.65°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.98°WHell Creek — 47.57°N, 107.10°WHell Creek — 45.50°N, 103.10°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.40°WHell Creek — 47.87°N, 106.18°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 106.43°WHell Creek — 47.65°N, 106.20°WHell Creek — 47.07°N, 106.92°WHell Creek — 47.10°N, 104.80°WHell Creek — 47.73°N, 106.50°WHell Creek — 45.40°N, 105.60°WHell Creek — 46.10°N, 103.30°WHell Creek — 47.53°N, 106.88°WHell Creek — 47.68°N, 106.43°WHell Creek — 46.90°N, 101.50°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 106.28°WHell Creek — 47.83°N, 106.18°WHell Creek — 45.98°N, 103.75°WHell Creek — 46.38°N, 103.96°WHell Creek — 45.95°N, 103.96°WHell Creek — 45.85°N, 104.83°WHell Creek — 47.70°N, 106.58°WHell Creek — 45.76°N, 104.92°WHell Creek — 45.66°N, 105.08°WHell Creek — 46.32°N, 103.94°WHell Creek — 46.18°N, 103.75°WHell Creek — 45.53°N, 101.63°WHell Creek — 45.00°N, 103.19°WSarmiento — 45.67°S, 68.67°WSarmiento — 45.23°S, 67.49°WSarmiento — 45.40°S, 67.72°WSarmiento — 44.67°S, 68.42°WSarmiento — 44.42°S, 68.67°WSarmiento — 45.33°S, 68.00°WSarmiento — 44.35°S, 69.78°WSarmiento — 44.17°S, 69.25°WSarmiento — 44.50°S, 68.83°WSarmiento — 45.77°S, 69.00°WSarmiento — 46.68°S, 68.35°WSarmiento — 44.50°S, 69.00°WSarmiento — 43.28°S, 65.48°WSarmiento — 45.00°S, 67.70°WSarmiento — 44.59°S, 69.10°WSarmiento — 45.78°S, 68.47°WLance — 43.18°N, 104.53°WLance — 41.57°N, 108.67°WLance — 43.15°N, 104.57°WLance — 43.25°N, 104.65°WLance — 44.94°N, 108.85°WLance — 43.00°N, 104.50°WLance — 43.30°N, 104.37°WLance — 43.13°N, 104.49°WLance — 43.25°N, 104.52°WLance — 43.12°N, 104.64°WLance — 43.80°N, 104.62°WLance — 45.04°N, 108.80°WBridger — 41.70°N, 109.00°WBridger — 42.70°N, 110.10°WBridger — 42.42°N, 109.35°WBridger — 41.80°N, 110.70°WBridger — 41.20°N, 110.50°WBridger — 41.77°N, 110.33°WBridger — 41.13°N, 110.13°WFriars — 32.90°N, 117.10°WFriars — 32.78°N, 117.07°WItaboraí — 22.84°S, 42.88°WPozo — 7.33°S, 74.95°WPozo — 7.33°S, 74.95°WPozo — 6.58°S, 76.28°WCerro Azul — 37.73°S, 63.53°WCerro Azul — 35.69°S, 64.67°WCerro Azul — 36.70°S, 64.28°WCerro Azul — 36.08°S, 65.00°WCerro Azul — 37.02°S, 64.51°WCerro Azul — 36.25°S, 65.51°WCerro Azul — 37.28°S, 64.15°WCerro Azul — 36.68°S, 64.18°WCerro Azul — 37.37°S, 65.47°WCerro Azul — 35.92°S, 64.87°WCerro Azul — 37.22°S, 63.59°WJudith River — 47.70°N, 110.70°WJudith River — 46.42°N, 109.27°WJudith River — 47.81°N, 109.59°WJudith River — 48.98°N, 110.52°WJudith River — 48.93°N, 110.58°WJudith River — 46.10°N, 109.10°WJudith River — 48.57°N, 109.70°WJudith River — 46.47°N, 109.30°WJudith River — 48.93°N, 110.65°WJudith River — 48.01°N, 108.91°WOldman — 50.78°N, 110.50°WOldman — 49.30°N, 110.60°WOldman — 50.50°N, 110.30°WOldman — 50.90°N, 111.80°WOldman — 49.08°N, 110.68°WOldman — 49.10°N, 110.94°WOldman — 49.16°N, 110.72°WOldman — 49.08°N, 110.84°WOldman — 50.75°N, 111.51°WOldman — 50.83°N, 111.32°WOldman — 50.81°N, 111.63°WWillwood — 44.78°N, 108.97°WWillwood — 43.95°N, 107.57°WWillwood — 44.00°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 44.50°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 44.30°N, 109.00°WWillwood — 44.77°N, 109.08°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 108.54°WWillwood — 44.42°N, 108.74°WWillwood — 44.76°N, 108.88°WWillwood — 44.16°N, 107.87°WWillwood — 44.15°N, 107.86°WGrange Burn — 37.73°S, 141.94°EGrange Burn — 37.73°S, 141.95°EDinosaur Park — 49.96°N, 110.27°WDinosaur Park — 50.75°N, 111.48°WDinosaur Park — 49.12°N, 110.47°WDinosaur Park — 50.73°N, 111.80°WDinosaur Park — 50.75°N, 111.50°WDinosaur Park — 50.81°N, 111.58°WDinosaur Park — 50.78°N, 111.33°WDinosaur Park — 50.76°N, 111.37°WDinosaur Park — 51.44°N, 110.39°WWahweap — 37.59°N, 112.90°WWahweap — 37.60°N, 111.35°WWahweap — 37.56°N, 112.28°WWahweap — 37.63°N, 112.12°WLa Meseta — 64.24°S, 56.65°WLa Meseta — 64.23°S, 56.67°WWagon Bed ("Tepee Trail") — 43.20°N, 107.10°WChapadmalal — 38.00°S, 58.00°WChapadmalal — 38.12°S, 57.70°WChapadmalal — 38.15°S, 57.61°WChapadmalal — 38.15°S, 57.62°WFort Union — 47.60°N, 107.00°WFort Union — 43.85°N, 108.35°WFort Union — 44.30°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 41.30°N, 107.74°WFort Union — 41.70°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 46.90°N, 103.90°WFort Union — 44.72°N, 108.38°WFort Union — 44.89°N, 108.91°WFort Union — 43.20°N, 107.10°WFort Union — 45.10°N, 106.90°WFort Union — 45.40°N, 105.60°WFort Union — 43.45°N, 109.16°WFort Union — 41.92°N, 108.56°WFort Union — 45.20°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 44.72°N, 108.62°WFort Union — 41.83°N, 108.60°WLas Flores — 45.40°S, 67.18°WLas Flores — 45.37°S, 67.74°WLas Flores — 45.50°S, 67.25°WLas Flores — 45.60°S, 69.08°WMonte Hermoso — 38.99°S, 61.67°WMonte Hermoso — 38.00°S, 61.00°WMonte Hermoso — 38.98°S, 61.82°WPinturas — 48.90°S, 70.17°WPinturas — 48.97°S, 71.40°WPinturas — 46.99°S, 70.59°WPinturas — 47.03°S, 70.67°WPinturas — 48.08°S, 70.08°WNamba — 31.13°S, 140.10°ENamba — 31.23°S, 140.23°ENamba — 31.02°S, 140.32°ENamba — 30.90°S, 140.17°ENamba — 31.13°S, 140.21°ENamba — 34.36°S, 138.99°EVillavieja — 3.26°N, 75.18°WVillavieja — 3.22°N, 75.22°W

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Metatheria has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. 283 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 2,045 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Metatheria and its relatives

Pleistocene

Where Metatheria and its relatives were recorded in the Pleistocene.

Found in the same rock

1,440 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 952 sites for Metatheria, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

916 references

Each of the 4,857 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. 904 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Metatheria

Credit
Ghedoghedo
Licence
Public Domain
Commercial use
the licence allows it

CT scan

Licence
In Copyright
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record
Specimen
Metatheria indet. · tmp:2008.102.0001

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itTheria through timeFormations of the PleistoceneThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Huxley 1880)