Dasyuromorphia

Dasyuromorphia is an order of carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. It comprises three living families: Dasyuridae, which includes quolls, dunnarts, and the Tasmanian devil; Myrmecobiidae, containing the numbat; and Thylacinidae, an extinct family that once included the Tasmanian tiger (thylacine). The order also includes numerous extinct groups known from the fossil record.

Living dasyuromorphs display a range of diets and ecologies. Numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus) are termite specialists and are diurnal, while many dasyurids are small to medium-sized insectivores or carnivores. Quolls and Tasmanian devils are among the larger carnivorous members, occupying predatory niches in various habitats. Habitat preferences vary from arid woodlands to forested regions and coastal areas. Reproduction in dasyuromorphs is via marsupial development, with young continuing development in a pouch after birth.

Geographic distribution is primarily Australian, with the Tasmanian devil found on Tasmania and several quoll species on the mainland and Tasmania. The numbat is restricted to specific arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. The thylacine, once widespread across southern Australia and Tasmania, became extinct in the 20th century, with the last known individual dying in captivity in 1936.

Evolution and classification place Dasyuromorphia among the early-diverging lineages of Australasian marsupials. The fossil record shows a diverse past, including both predatory and insectivorous forms, with modern diversity most evident in the three living families. Conservation concerns today focus on habitat loss, introduced predators, and disease affecting several species, particularly the Tasmanian devil.