Over the past half a century research has revealed that marsupials – far from being ‘second class’ mammals – have adaptations for particular ways of life quite equal to their placental counterparts. Despite long separate evolution, there are extraordinary similarities in which marsupials have solved the challenges of living in such environments as deserts, alpine snowfields or tropical rainforests. Some can live on grass, some on pollen and others on leaves; some can glide, some can swim and others hop with extraordinary efficiency. In Life of Marsupials, one of the world’s leading experts explores the biology and evolution of this unusual group – with their extraordinary diversity of forms around the world – in Australia, New Guinea and South America. Joint winner of the 2005 Whitley Medal. Included in Choice Magazine's 2006 Outstanding Academic Titles list.

In Life of Marsupials, one of the world's leading experts explores the biology and evolution of this unusual group - with their extraordinary diversity of forms around the world - in Australia, New Guinea and South America. -back cover.

Most living carnivorous marsupials lead a secretive and solitary existence. From tiny insect eaters to the formidable Tasmanian Devil, Secret Lives of Carnivorous Marsupials offers rare insight into the history and habits of these creatures – from their discovery by intrepid explorers and scientists to their unique life cycles and incredible ways of hunting prey. Secret Lives of Carnivorous Marsupials provides a guide to the world’s 136 living species of carnivorous marsupials and is packed with never-before-seen photos. Biogeography, relationships and conservation are also covered in detail. Readers are taken on a journey through remote Australia, the Americas and dark, mysterious New Guinea – some of the last truly wild places on Earth. The book describes frenzied mating sessions, minuscule mammals that catch prey far larger than themselves, and extinct predators including marsupial lions, wolves and even sabre-toothed kangaroos.

Authoritative and engaging, this volume from the Walker's Mammals series focuses on marsupials, pouched animals whose unusual method of reproduction—between egg laying and placental birth—places them in a unique category among mammals. A comprehensive guide to the biology and distribution of marsupials, this book includes common and scientific names, size and physical traits, habitat and ecology, behavior and social interactions, reproduction, life span, and conservation. The text is coupled with illustrations from the collections of leading photographers and the world's greatest museums. An introduction by marsupial expert Christopher R. Dickman describes the evolution and current status of marsupials and reveals why they add so much intrigue to the natural world.

Marsupials and monotremes are the dominant mammalian fauna in Australia, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and parts of South America. Monotremes are unique; they possess a range of reptilian and mammalian characteristics. Marsupials are highly diverse and occupy a wide range of ecologically diverse niches and habitats. They have distinct physiologies and their ability to control foetal development and nurture extremely immature young is providing beneficial insights into developmental physiology and human medicine. Insights into marsupial herbivory are benefitting agriculture and climate science. Studies on these mammals that have or will benefit mankind in medicine, agriculture and environmental science have been highlighted. This book covers current knowledge of all aspects of the basic biology and ecology of marsupials and monotremes including evolution and biogeography, genomics, musculoskeletal anatomy, thermal regulation, reproduction, nutrition and feeding strategies, behaviour and social interactions, health and disease, current conservation status, exploitation and utilisation and finally addresses this question: "Are monotremes and marsupials inferior?" The principal audience for this book will be undergraduate students at the tertiary level. Within these chapters, standalone text boxes have been incorporated with examples of the most up-to-date research undertaken to make the book a resource to research students and scientists. Many text boxes highlight the enigmatic nature of marsupials and monotremes and where knowledge of their biology could be of value to the wider community (medicine, agriculture and environment). This compilation emphasises the utility of the information being generated from research with these mammals to the wider scientific community.

The results of this compilation of new research on the reproductive physiology of marsupials reveal much about their patterns of reproduction and evolution in comparison to monotremes and eutherians.

In Life of Marsupials, one of the world's leading experts explores the biology and evolution of this unusual group - with their extraordinary diversity of forms around the world - in Australia, New Guinea and South America. -back cover.

Predators with Pouches provides a unique synthesis of current knowledge of the world’s carnivorous marsupials—from Patagonia to New Guinea and North America to Tasmania. Written by 63 experts in each field, the book covers a comprehensive range of disciplines including evolution and systematics, reproductive biology, physiology, ecology, behaviour and conservation. Predators with Pouches reveals the relationships between the American didelphids and the Australian dasyurids, and explores the role of the marsupial fauna in the mammal community. It introduces the geologically oldest marsupials, from the Americas, and examines the fall from former diversity of the larger marsupial carnivores and their convergent evolution with placental forms. The book covers all aspects of carnivorous marsupials, including interesting features of life history, their unique reproduction, the physiological basis for early senescence in semelparous dasyurids, sex ratio variation and juvenile dispersal. It looks at gradients in nutrition—from omnivory to insectivory to carnivory—as well as distributional ecology, social structure and conservation dilemmas.

Marsupials are excellent objects for studies on developmental processes in all mammals including humans. Marsupials are very immature at birth and undergo most of their development in a pouch where they can be manipulated in a variety of ways without affecting the mother. Most of these studies are on systems which largely mature before birth in eutherian mammals and are consequently difficult to investigate. Attention is also drawn to certain features peculiar to adult marsupials: e.g., they continue to grow throughout adult life, valuable for studies on growth mechanisms, and furthermore the composition of marsupial milk changes radically through lactation, most important in studies of hormonal regulation of milk composition and secretion.

This book documents the excellent potential the study of marsupials provides for resolution of theoretical questions of general importance in biology.