Template:Evolution of Marsupials

Geological time scale of marsupial evolution

Holocene 10,000 ya – present	First Europeans visit Australia in 1606, settlements begin in 1788. Dingo introduced 3500-4000 ya. Thylacine and Tasmanian devil subsequently disappear from Australian mainland.
Pleistocene 1.75 Mya – 10,000	Last glacial maximum 18,000–20,000 ya Extinction of megafauna 45,000–55,000 ya. First humans arrive in Australia at least 70,000~65,000 ya.

Pliocene
5.3–1.7 Mya

Growing diversity in grazing marsupials as a result of grasslands and arid habitats development.
First appearance of large marsupials.

Late Miocene 11–5.3 Mya	'Dim age' of marsupial fossils in Australia. Forest-dwellers diminish.
Middle Miocene 16.4–11 Mya	Icehouse conditions result in the number of forest and forest-dwelling marsupials to decrease.
Early Miocene 23.5–16.4 Mya	Greenhouse conditions in Australia result in great diversity of Australian marsupials.

Oligocene 33–23 Mya	Appearance of marsupials in Australian fossil record
Eocene 53–33.7 Mya	Australia separates from Antarctica.
Paleocene 65–53 Mya	High marsupial diversity in South America. Appearance of the oldest Australian marsupial in late Paleocene. Dinosaurs are wiped off the Earth after an asteroid collision.

Late Cretaceous 97–65 Mya	The northern landmass, Laurasia, is inhabited by marsupials. Some of them start dispersing to South America.
Early Cretaceous 135–97 Mya	First appearance of marsupial and placental fossils.

Jurassic 203–135 Mya

Break apart of the great southern landmass, Gondwana. Marsupials and placentals diverge.

Triassic 250–203 Mya

First mammals appear in late Triassic in the supercontinent, Pangaea.

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