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The
Australasian carnivorous marsupials are found in 3 Recent
families, 19 genera and 64 species. Representatives
of this order inhabit Australia, New Guinea, and the
Aru Islands of Indonesia.
The
fossil history of Dasyuromorphia is from the middle
Miocene to Recent in Australasia and indicates the presence
of many more species in the past than exists today.
The
habitat of Dasyuromorphia varies greatly by species.
The larger species, such as the quolls, are found predominantly
in tropical forests and wooded areas, whereas the smaller
Dasyuromorphia are distributed throughout the terrestrial
habitats of Australia and New Guinea.
All
of the Dasyuromorphia are carnivorous. Even the smallest
of the genera are highly efficient predators feeding
on a diet of insects, lizards, small birds and mammals.
The larger species will prey on mammals as big as wallabies.
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