This book focuses on marsupials, a group of mammals that usually carry their young in a pouch, such as Australian kangaroos. Much of the current knowledge on marsupials is based on the Australasian marsupial fauna, but marsupials are also common in the Americas, particularly South America. There are roughly 130 species of New World marsupials, of which the opossum is the best known. Thanks to recent research, there is now an increasing amount of data on their evolution, biogeography, systematics, ecology, and conservation in the Americas. Based on this information and the authors’ extensive research, this book provides comprehensive insights into New World marsupials. It will appeal to academics and specialized researchers, students of zoology, paleontology, evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation, as well as interested non-experts.      weiterlesen