Dasyuromorphia

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/dasyuromorphia

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Dasyuromorphia
2. What are Dasyuromorphia and why are they special?Dasyuromorphia are a group of Australian marsupials that mainly eat meat. They show how one ancestor can turn into many species that live in many different places, making them a great example of adaptive radiation.
3. Where can you find Dasyuromorphia in Australia?They live all over Australia, Tasmania, and some nearby islands. You can find them in deserts, grasslands, rainforests, woodlands, and even alpine areas.

Adaptive Radiation: The diversification of a group of organisms into forms filling different ecological niches.
Biogeography: The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time.
Marsupium: The pouch on the abdomen of a female marsupial, in which she carries her young.