Cladotheria
Cladotheria is a taxonomic group. It includes two of the three living groups of mammals. These are the placental mamnals and the marsupials. The monotremes are not in this group, but all other living mammals are in the group.[1]
| Cladotheria Temporal range: Middle Jurassic – Holocene, 165–0 mya
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| Kangaroo with her joey | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Trechnotheria |
| Clade: | Cladotheria McKenna, 1975 |
| Subgroups | |
The Cladotheria also includes some groups which have become extinct.[2]
Common traits
Members of the group have a number of common traits:
- They give birth to live young (as opposed to the egg-laying monotremes)
- They have two separate openings, one for the anus, and the other one for the urethra (the monotremes have just one opening)
- The shoulder area only has two bones, the scapula (shoulder blade), and the clavicula
- The mammary glands are connected to teats
- Their skull has a common layout
- On their face they have hairs called whiskers which are sensitive to touch.
- Their molars have a common pattern.
Cladotheria Media
Comparison of the jaw and tooth morphology of cladotherians and other mammals
References
- ↑ Rowe, Timothy (1988). "Definition, diagnosis, and origin of Mammalia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 8 (3): 241–264. doi:10.1080/02724634.1988.10011708. ISSN 0272-4634.
- ↑ Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, Richard L. Cifelli, and Zhe-Xi Luo 2004. Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs: origins, evolution, and structure. New York: Columbia University Press.