How Does Continental Drift Explain the Uniqueness of Australian Fauna

question 29

Multiple Choice

How does continental drift explain the uniqueness of Australian fauna?

• A) Marsupials fill the ecological niche as eutherians on other continents.
• B) Fossil evidence suggests that marsupials originated in Asia and reached Australia via South America.
• C) The subsequent separation of the southern continents formed an island of marsupials.
• D) In Australia, marsupials diversified, and eutherians became extinct.

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Definitions:

Monotremes

A group of mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young, including the platypus and echidnas.

Metatheria

A taxonomic group of mammals, commonly known as marsupials, characterized by giving birth to partially developed offspring that typically complete their development in the mother's pouch.

Hemichordates

A group of marine animals closely related to chordates, characterized by having a body divided into three parts: a proboscis, a collar, and a trunk.

Deuterostomes

A group of animals characterized by the development of the mouth from an opening other than the blastopore during embryonic development.