Sinodelphys

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Sinodelphys Fossil range: Early Cretaceous
Sinodelphys szalayi fossil displayed in Hong Kong Science Museum.
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Metatheria Genus: Sinodelphys

Sinodelphys or "Chinese opossum" is to date the oldest marsupial fossil known, estimated to be 125 million years old. It was discovered around 2003 in Liaoning Province, China, by a team of scientists including John Wible and Zhe-Xi Luo. Sinodelphys szalayi grew only 15 centimeters long and possibly weighed about 30 grams. Its fossilized skeleton is surrounded by impressions of fur and soft tissue, thanks to the exceptional sediment that preserves such details. The limb structure of Sinodelphys shows this little marsupial was a tree-dweller, like its non-marsupial contemporary Eomaia. Sinodelphys probably hunted worms and insects. Most Mesozoic marsupials have been found in North America, South America, and Asia. Most lived during the Late Cretaceous between 90-65 million years ago.

[edit] See also

• Eomaia
• Evolution of mammals