Deltatheridium
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Image:Http://img.search.com/2/2b/300px-RepenomamusuZICA.png
Deltatheridium is one of the first species of marsupial mammal. It lived in what is now Mongolia during the Upper Cretaceous. It was a basal metatherian, which places it near start of the linage that lead to the marsupials, such the kangaroo, koala, and opposum.
It had a length of 15 cm. Apart from preying on insects, its diet was also composed of small reptiles and what it could scavenge from left-over carcasses, using its sharp canine teeth.
[edit] In popular culture
Deltatheridium is briefly seen in the first episode of the Discovery Channel TV series Dinosaur planet.
[edit] References
Implications of Deltatheridium specimens for early marsupial history. Rougier GW, Wible JR, Novacek MJ. Nature, (1998) Dec 3; vol 396, issue 6710, page 459
[edit] Other Mesozoic Mongolian Mammals
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