Marsupials Not From Down Under After All

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All living marsupials - such as wallabies, kangaroos and opossums - all originated in South America, a new genetic study suggests. The animals most famous for populating Australia actually started out on another continent altogether.

But marsupials, a group of mammals known for toting their young in belly pouches on the females, are still common in South America, too. The recent study used new genetic data about some of these species to trace the family tree.