Early marsupial molars: 3 or 4?
Prescript:
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Main topic:
Molar number in marsupials
According to Wikipedia – Marsupial, “Early marsupials had a dental formula of 5.1.3.4 (uppers) 4.1.3.4 (lowers) per quadrant, consisting of five (maxillary [correction: premaxillary]) or four (mandibular) incisors, one canine, three premolars, and four molars, totaling 50 teeth. While some taxa, like the opossum, retain this original tooth count, others have reduced numbers.”
A typical opossum is Didelphis.
Three molars appear in opossum descendants like
Tetraclaenodon, Prodinoceras and Deltatherium.
Note the great range in skull sizes.
Early Cretaceous Eomaia also has three molars,
and was therefore originally considered the earliest Eutherian = placental. The LRT nests Eomaia as a basal marsupial despite the low molar count. Related Acristatherium likewise has only three molars. So do several other early marsupials.
Evolution follows patterns, not rules.
Test hundreds of traits. Don’t rely on just a few.
PostScript:
re: the last post on chalicotheres
Tested chalicotheres and their ancestors back to oreodonts are now pictured to scale in one tall image at /reptileevolution.com/chalicotherium.htm
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2026/02/26/early-marsupial-molars-3-or-4/
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