Family Dasyuridae
Broad-Footed Marsupial Mice
Dibbler
Sandstone Marsupial Mouse
This is a fair-sized order of some of the more unusual carnivorous or insectivorous marsupials. They vary in appearance, from rodent-like to cat-like to dog-like, and include the ever-famous Tasmanian devil. In this order, most of the marsupials have a pouch located on the belly. However, some of the broad-footed marsupial mice have only folds of skin instead of true pouches, and the numbat lacks a pouch entirely. Dasyurids are not syndactylus (toes fused together), which separates them from the order Diprotodontia. They have four pairs of incisors on the top jaw, and 3 on the bottom, which makes them polyprotodonts. There are approx. 63 species in 3 families, although one of the families is probably extinct:
Dasyuridae (quolls, native cats, marsupial mice, Tasmanian devils) 61 spp
Myrmecobiidae (numbats) 1 spp
Thylacinidae (Tasmanian wolf or thylacine — probably extinct) 1 spp
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