|
Geological time scale of Marsupials evolution
|
| Phanerozoic |
|
|
|
|
|
|
First Europeans visit Australia in 1606, settlements begin in 1788.
Dingo introduced 3500-4000 ya. Thylacine and Tasmanian devil subsequently disappear from Australian mainland. |
|
|
Last glacial maximum 18,000-20,000 ya
Extinction of megafauna 45,000-55,000 ya.
First humans arrive at least 45,000 ya.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Growing diversity in grazing marsupials as a result of grasslands and arid habitats development.
First appearance of large marsupials.
|
|
|
|
Late Miocene 11-5.3 Mya
|
'Dim age' of marsupial fossils in Australia. Forest-dwellers diminish.
|
|
Middle Miocene 16.4-11 Mya
|
Icehouse conditions result in the number of forest and forest-dwelling marsupials to decrease.
|
|
Early Miocene 23.5-16.4 Mya
|
Greenhouse conditions in Australia result in great diversity of Australian marsupials.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Appearance of marsupials in Australian fossil record
|
|
|
|
|
|
High marsupial diversity in South America. Appearance of the oldest Australian marsupial in late Paleocene.
Dinosaurs are wiped off the Earth after an asteroid collision.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Late Cretaceous 97-65 Mya
|
The northern landmass, Laurasia, is inhabited by marsupials. Some of them start dispersing to South America. |
|
Early Cretaceous 135-97 Mya
|
First appearance of marsupial and placental fossils.
|
|
|
|
Break apart of the great southern landmass, Gondwana. Marsupials and placentals diverge. |
|
|
First mammals appear in late Triassic in the supercontinent, Pangaea. |
|
|
|
|
Lua error in Module:Documentation at line 140: message: type error in message cfg.container (string expected, got nil).
