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marsupialiamore about marsupialia

marsupialia


  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Mammalia  \Mam*ma"li*a\,  n.  pl  [NL.,  from  L.  mammalis.  See 
  {Mammal}.]  (Zo["o]l.) 
  The  highest  class  of  Vertebrata.  The  young  are  nourished  for 
  a  time  by  milk,  or  an  analogous  fluid,  secreted  by  the 
  mammary  glands  of  the  mother. 
 
  Note:  Mammalia  are  divided  into  three  subclasses;  --  I. 
  {Placentalia}.  This  subclass  embraces  all  the  higher 
  orders  including  man.  In  these  the  fetus  is  attached 
  to  the  uterus  by  a  placenta.  II  {Marsupialia}.  In 
  these  no  placenta  is  formed,  and  the  young,  which  are 
  born  at  an  early  state  of  development,  are  carried  for 
  a  time  attached  to  the  teats,  and  usually  protected  by 
  a  marsupial  pouch.  The  opossum,  kangaroo,  wombat,  and 
  koala  are  examples.  III.  {Monotremata}.  In  this  group 
  which  includes  the  genera  {Echidna}  and 
  {Ornithorhynchus},  the  female  lays  large  eggs 
  resembling  those  of  a  bird  or  lizard,  and  the  young, 
  which  are  hatched  like  those  of  birds,  are  nourished  by 
  a  watery  secretion  from  the  imperfectly  developed 
  mamm[ae]. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Marsupialia  \Mar*su`pi*a"li*a\,  n.  pl  [NL.,  fr  L.  marsupium  a 
  pouch,  bag,  purse,  Gr  ?,  dim.  of  ?,  ?.]  (Zo["o]l.) 
  A  subclass  of  Mammalia,  including  nearly  all  the  mammals  of 
  Australia  and  the  adjacent  islands,  together  with  the 
  opossums  of  America.  They  differ  from  ordinary  mammals  in 
  having  the  corpus  callosum  very  small  in  being  implacental, 
  and  in  having  their  young  born  while  very  immature.  The 
  female  generally  carries  the  young  for  some  time  after  birth 
  in  an  external  pouch,  or  marsupium.  Called  also  {Marsupiata}. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  Marsupialia 
  n  :  coextensive  with  the  subclass  Metatheria  [syn:  {Marsupialia}, 
  {order  Marsupialia}] 




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