The earliest known ancestors of opossums appeared more than 65 million years ago. (Photo: Leonid Korchenko/Getty Images)
With their beady eyes, large ears, sleek tails, and short, stocky legs, opossums are the defining characteristics of marsupials. Despite their unusual appearance, these creatures have a rich evolutionary history and have remained virtually unchanged for millions of years. Their remarkable ability to adapt to a variety of environments, food sources, and predators has allowed them to survive from the age of dinosaurs to the present day.
The Virginia opossum is the only opossum species found in the United States and Canada. They have the smallest brain-to-body-weight ratio of any North American mammal.
The earliest known ancestors of modern opossums lived more than 65 million years ago, around the same time that dinosaurs went extinct. A 2009 study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that peredectids, a family of marsupials known from fossils found primarily in North America and Eurasia, are the closest extinct relatives of modern opossums. Like modern opossums, peredectids had opposable thumbs on their hind limbs and a similar skull shape — traits that have remained relatively unchanged for millions of years. The earliest opossum fossils date back to the early Miocene, about 20 million years ago.
You may like
-
Binturong: The Bear Cat That Smells Like Hot Buttered Popcorn
-
Hoatzin: An unusual 'smelly bird' born with clawed wings that appears to be an evolutionary 'orphan'.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
