Caenolestoidea
(Superfamily)A taxonomic superfamily.
Photos
Taxonomy
The Superfamily Caenolestoidea is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Family (2): Abderitidae · Caenolestidae
Families
Abderitidae
At least 7 species and subspecies belong to the Family Abderitidae.
More info about the Family Abderitidae may be found here.
Caenolestidae
The biological order Paucituberculata contains the six surviving species of shrew opossum: small, shrew-like marsupials which are confined to the Andes mountains of South America. It is thought that the order diverged from the ancestral marsupial line very early. As recently as 20 million years ago, there were at least seven genera in South America. Today, just three genera remain. They live in inaccessible forest and grassland regions of the High Andes. Insectivores were entirely absent from South America until the Great American Interchange three Ma ago, and are currently present only in the northwestern part of the continent. These shrew opossums fill the same ecological niche, but have lost ground to the placental invaders. Nevertheless, the ranges of the two groups overlap broadly. [more]
At least 46 species and subspecies belong to the Family Caenolestidae.
More info about the Family Caenolestidae may be found here.
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