Metatheria
| Metatheria Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Lycopsis longirostris, an extinct sparassodont, a relative of the marsupials | |
| A mouse opossum (Marmosa) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Subclass: | Theria |
| Clade: | Metatheria Huxley, 1880 |
| Subgroups | |
| |
Metatheria is a mammalian clade that includes all mammals more closely related to marsupials than to placentals. First proposed by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1880, it is a more inclusive group than the marsupials; it contains all marsupials as well as many extinct non-marsupial relatives. It is one of two groups placed in the clade Theria alongside Eutheria, which contains the placentals. Remains of metatherians have been found on all of Earth’s continents.