I was just wondering.
2007-07-15 05:23:11 · 6 answers · asked by Chain Gang Soldier 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
No, they are both arboreal, marsupial mammals, but they are not related. All of the mammals native to Aussie are all from the same rodent-like marsupial, and are only through that ancestor related to other mammals.
2007-07-15 05:29:55 · answer #1 · answered by Tibbs 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
That depends on which possum you are considering. The American opossum is a marsupial and as such is distantly related to the Australian marsupials. The Australian possums are more closely related to the other Australian marsupials than they are to the American marsupials.
Koalas and wombats are closely related and are one of the three major herbivorous groups of Australian marsupials, the other two being the kangaroos and the possums. There is a large group of carnivorous marsupials as well.
2007-07-15 21:42:08 · answer #2 · answered by tentofield 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thet are both marsupial, so must have a common ancestor at some point in the past, but over eons of evoultion have become extremely distant ancestors, in much the same way as all mammals probably share a common ancestor
2007-07-15 12:59:45 · answer #3 · answered by Chin 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Not really. They are both mammals, but one is a placental (becomes pregnant in the normal way), while the other is a marsupial.
2007-07-15 12:26:53 · answer #4 · answered by morph_888 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Well...they're both marsupials. Does that help?
2007-07-15 18:41:54 · answer #5 · answered by S N 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yup, they're both marsupials.
2007-07-16 10:43:14 · answer #6 · answered by FN 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋