Sparassodont
extinct order of mammals / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sparassodonta were an order of carnivorous metatherian mammals. They are all now extinct.[1]
Quick Facts Sparassodonta Temporal range: Palaeocene–Pleistocene, Scientific classification ...
Sparassodonta Temporal range: Palaeocene–Pleistocene | |
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Thylacosmilus | |
Scientific classification | |
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Order: | †Sparassodonta Ameghino, 1894 |
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The sparassodonts were native to South America. They were once thought to be true marsupials, but are now classified as a sister taxon to them.[2][3]
A number of these mammalian predators closely resemble placental predators that evolved separately in Eurasia. They were first described by Florentino Ameghino, from fossils found in the Santa Cruz beds of Patagonia.