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Ophthalmology of Marsupials: Opossums, Koalas, Kangaroos, Bandicoots, and Relatives

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Abstract

Marsupials are members of the mammalian infraclass “Marsupialia” and are characterized by the presence of a marsupium (or “pouch”) on the dam’s abdomen, in which their undeveloped young resides after birth. All extant marsupial species are native to the Americas and Australasia, and this group is highly diversified to fill biologic niches within their habitats. Seven marsupial orders are extant, with three being represented in the Americas, and the North American opossum (Didelphis virginiana) being the only species present in its title continent. The marsupial group is diverse enough to include domestic cat-sized obligate carnivores such as the tree-dwelling tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), while also including the herbivorous tripedal red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) whose males can weigh over 90 kg. An example of the anatomic diversity observed in marsupials is such that holangiotic, paurangiotic, and avascular patterns are represented in the retinae of this infraclass (Wislocki 1940; Buttery et al. 1990; Rodger et al. 2001). To add to their uniqueness, some Australian marsupials may be the only non-primate mammals to possess trichromatic vision (Arrese et al. 2002, 2005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eye Clinic for Animals, Artarmon, NSW, Australia

    Benjamin D. Reynolds, Kelly A. Caruso, Cameron J. Whittaker & Jeffrey Smith

Authors
  1. Benjamin D. Reynolds
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  2. Kelly A. Caruso
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  3. Cameron J. Whittaker
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  4. Jeffrey Smith
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Veterinary Medicine Department, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil

    Fabiano Montiani-Ferreira

  2. College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Bret A. Moore

  3. College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Gil Ben-Shlomo

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Reynolds, B.D., Caruso, K.A., Whittaker, C.J., Smith, J. (2022). Ophthalmology of Marsupials: Opossums, Koalas, Kangaroos, Bandicoots, and Relatives. In: Montiani-Ferreira, F., Moore, B.A., Ben-Shlomo, G. (eds) Wild and Exotic Animal Ophthalmology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81273-7_3

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