�y��vlog

Only one of these is a metatherian; these marsupial ancestors, once so abundant in the Cretaceous, were nearly extinguished.

That context is part of what makes a new Eocene metatherian stand out.

In the ensuing Paleogene, it was the placental mammals that took advantage of the metatherian demise and blossomed into the many familiar groups we know today, including our primate forebears.

Extinct metatherian mammals who are related to today’s marsupials might not have dominated in the days of the dinosaurs, but they did quite well for themselves in the shadow of the ancient giants.

Where the metatherian lived might have had something to do with that.