List of Marsupials by Order, Family – Marsupial Animal Species in America & Australia

Marsupial animals list by order and family, check list of marsupials species which are existing predominantly in Australia and America. List of Marsupials includes a diverse group of mammals characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped offspring, which are then carried and nursed in a pouch on the mother’s belly until they mature. This unique reproductive strategy sets marsupials apart from placental mammals (like humans, dogs, and cats), whose offspring develop more extensively in the womb before birth.

Marsupials are found predominantly in Australasia and the Americas. The most well-known examples of marsupials come from Australia, where they evolved in isolation for millions of years due to the continent’s geographical isolation. Some common examples of Australian marsupials include Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies, Wombats, Tasmanian Devil and Sugar Gliders.

In the Americas, marsupials are represented by the opossum family. The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial native to the United States and Canada. Opossums are opportunistic omnivores and are well-adapted to urban environments.

List of Marsupials by Order

Here is the complete list of marsupials by order, family and species.

Order Didelphimorphia – List of Didelphimorphs (Opossum)

The Didelphimorphs list consists of one family, Didelphidae, which is divided into the subfamilies Caluromyinae, Glironiinae, Hyladelphinae, and Didelphinae. 93 species of animals belonging to the Didelphidae family of order Didelphimorphia are mentioned below.

• Bare-tailed woolly opossum (C. philander)
• Brown-eared woolly opossum (C. lanatus)
• Derby’s woolly opossum (C. derbianus)
• Black-shouldered opossum (C. irrupta)
• Chacoan pygmy opossum (C. formosa)
• Water opossum (C. minimus)
• Agricola’s gracile opossum (C. agricolai)
• Chacoan gracile opossum (C. chacoensis)
• Guahiba gracile opossum (C. guahybae)
• Red-bellied gracile opossum (C. ignitus)
• Unduavi gracile opossum (C. unduaviensis)
• Andean white-eared opossum (D. pernigra)
• Big-eared opossum (D. aurita)
• Common opossum (D. marsupialis)
• Guianan white-eared opossum (D. imperfecta)
• Virginia opossum (D. virginiana)
• White-eared opossum (D. albiventris)
• Aceramarca gracile opossum (G. aceramarcae)
• Agile gracile opossum (G. agilis)
• Brazilian gracile opossum (G. microtarsus)
• Emilia’s gracile opossum (G. emiliae)
• Northern gracile opossum (G. marica)
• Wood sprite gracile opossum (G. dryas)
• Patagonian opossum (L. halli)
• Big lutrine opossum (L. crassicaudata)
• Massoia’s lutrine opossum (L. massoia)
• Alston’s mouse opossum (M. alstoni)
• Bare-tailed woolly mouse opossum (M. regina)
• Guajira mouse opossum (M. xerophila)
• Heavy-browed mouse opossum (M. andersoni)
• Linnaeus’s mouse opossum (M. murina)
• Little woolly mouse opossum (M. phaea)
• Mexican mouse opossum (M. mexicana)
• Quechuan mouse opossum (M. quichua)
• Red mouse opossum (M. rubra)
• Robinson’s mouse opossum (M. robinsoni)
• Rufous mouse opossum (M. lepida)
• Tate’s woolly mouse opossum (M. paraguayana)
• Tyler’s mouse opossum (M. tyleriana)
• White-bellied woolly mouse opossum (M. constantiae)
• Woolly mouse opossum (M. demerarae)
• Andean Slender Mouse Opossum (M. caucae)
• Bishop’s slender opossum (M. bishopi)
• Brazilian slender opossum (M. paulensis)
• Creighton’s slender opossum (M. creightoni)
• Delicate slender opossum (M. parvidens)
• Dusky slender opossum (M. fuscatus)
• Gray slender opossum (M. incanus)
• Handley’s slender opossum (M. handleyi)
• Junin slender opossum (M. juninensis)
• Narrow-headed slender opossum (M. cracens)
• Neblina slender opossum (M. neblina)
• Panama slender opossum (M. invictus)
• Pantepui slender opossum (M. pakaraimae)
• Pinheiro’s slender opossum (M. pinheiroi)
• Spectacled slender opossum (M. ocellatus)
• Tschudi’s slender opossum (M. impavidus)
• White-bellied slender opossum (M. noctivagus)
• Brown four-eyed opossum (M. nudicaudatus)
• Amazonian red-sided opossum (M. glirina)
• Emilia’s short-tailed opossum (M. emiliae)
• Gray short-tailed opossum (M. domestica)
• Handley’s short-tailed opossum (M. handleyi)
• Hooded red-sided opossum (M. palliolata)
• Ihering’s three-striped opossum (M. iheringi)
• Long-nosed short-tailed opossum (M. scalops)
• Northern red-sided opossum (M. brevicaudata)
• Northern three-striped opossum (M. americana)
• One-striped opossum (M. unistriata)
• Osgood’s short-tailed opossum (M. osgoodi)
• Peruvian short-tailed opossum (M. peruviana)
• Pygmy short-tailed opossum (M. kunsi)
• Reig’s opossum (M. reigi)
• Ronald’s opossum (M. ronaldi)
• Sepia short-tailed opossum (M. adusta)
• Yellow-sided opossum (M. dimidiata)
• Anderson’s four-eyed opossum (P. andersoni)
• Deltaic four-eyed opossum (P. deltae)
• Gray four-eyed opossum (P. opossum)
• McIlhenny’s four-eyed opossum (P. mcilhennyi)
• Southeastern four-eyed opossum (P. frenatus)
• Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. sponsorius)
• Buff-bellied fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. venustus)
• Common fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. pusillus)
• Dwarf fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. velutinus)
• Elegant fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. elegans)
• Karimi’s fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. karimii)
• Paraguayan fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. macrurus)
• Tate’s fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. tatei)
• White-bellied fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. pallidior)
• Grayish mouse opossum (T. canescens)
• Bushy-tailed opossum (G. venusta)
• Kalinowski’s mouse opossum (H. kalinowskii)

Order Paucituberculata

Paucituberculata is an order of South American marsupials, currently represented only by the 7 living species of shrew opossums. The family Caenolestidae contains the seven surviving species of shrew opossum: small, shrew-like marsupials that are confined to the Andes mountains of South America.

• Gray-bellied caenolestid (Caenolestes caniventer)
• Andean caenolestid (Caenolestes condorensis)
• Northern caenolestid (Caenolestes convelatus)
• Dusky caenolestid (Caenolestes fuliginosus)
• Eastern caenolestid (Caenolestes sangay)
• Peruvian or Incan caenolestid (Lestoros inca)
• Long-nosed caenolestid (Rhyncholestes raphanurus)

Order Microbiotheria

Microbiotheriidae is a family of australidelphian marsupials represented by only one extant species, the monito del monte. The colocolo opossum or monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides), also called chumaihuén in Mapudungun, is a diminutive marsupial native only to southwestern South America (Argentina and Chile).

Order Yalkaparidon (Extinct)

Yalkaparidon is an extinct genus of Australian marsupials, first described in 1988 and known only from the Oligo-Miocene deposits of Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland, Australia. Two species, Y. coheni and Y. jonesi, have so far been described. Numerous isolated teeth and jaw bones of Yalkaparidon are known, but only a single skull (of Y. coheni) has so far been recovered.

Order Dasyuromorphia – List of Dasyuromorphs

• Agile antechinus (A. agilis)
• Atherton antechinus (A. godmani)
• Brown antechinus (A. stuartii)
• Cinnamon antechinus (A. leo)
• Dusky antechinus (A. swainsonii)
• Fawn antechinus (A. bellus)
• Subtropical antechinus (A. subtropicus)
• Swamp antechinus (A. minimus)
• Tropical antechinus (A. adustus)
• Yellow-footed antechinus (A. flavipes)
• Brush-tailed mulgara (D. blythi)
• Crest-tailed mulgara (D. cristicauda)
• Little red kaluta (D. rosamondae)
• Kowari (D. byrnei)
• Bronze quoll (D. spartacus)
• Eastern quoll (D. viverrinus)
• New Guinean quoll (D. albopunctatus)
• Northern quoll (D. hallucatus)
• Tiger quoll (D. maculatus)
• Western quoll (D. geoffroii)
• Black-tailed dasyure (M. melanurus)
• Broad-striped dasyure (P. rothschildi)
• Habbema dasyure (M. habbema)
• Long-nosed dasyure (P. naso)
• Short-furred dasyure (M. longicaudata)
• Tate’s three-striped dasyure (M. wavicus)
• Three-striped dasyure (M. melas)
• Wallace’s dasyure (M. wallacii)
• Woolley’s three-striped dasyure (M. leucura)
• Speckled dasyure (N. lorentzi)
• Dibbler (P. apicalis)
• Brush-tailed phascogale (P. tapoatafa)
• Red-tailed phascogale (P. calura)
• Northern brush-tailed phascogale (P. pirata)
• Narrow-striped marsupial shrew (P. dorsalis)
• Red-bellied marsupial shrew (P. doriae)
• Alexandria false antechinus (P. mimulus)
• Fat-tailed false antechinus (P. macdonnellensis)
• Ningbing false antechinus (P. ningbing)
• Rory Cooper’s false antechinus (P. roryi)
• Sandstone false antechinus (P. bilarni)
• Woolley’s false antechinus (P. woolleyae)
• Tasmanian devil (S. harrisii)
• Kultarr (A. laniger)
• Pilbara ningaui (N. timealeyi)
• Southern ningaui (N. yvonnae)
• Wongai ningaui (N. ridei)
• Common planigale (P. maculata)
• Long-tailed planigale (P. ingrami)
• Narrow-nosed planigale (P. tenuirostris)
• New Guinean planigale (P. novaeguineae)
• Paucident planigale (P. gilesi)
• Carpentarian dunnart (S. butleri)
• Chestnut dunnart (S. archeri)
• Fat-tailed dunnart (S. crassicaudata)
• Gilbert’s dunnart (S. gilberti)
• Grey-bellied dunnart (S. griseoventer)
• Hairy-footed dunnart (S. hirtipes)
• Julia Creek dunnart (S. douglasi)
• Kakadu dunnart (S. bindi)
• Lesser hairy-footed dunnart (S. youngsoni)
• Little long-tailed dunnart (S. dolichura)
• Long-tailed dunnart (S. longicaudata)
• Ooldea dunnart (S. ooldea)
• Red-cheeked dunnart (S. virginiae)
• Sandhill dunnart (S. psammophila)
• Slender-tailed dunnart (S. murina)
• Sooty dunnart (S. fuliginosus)
• Stripe-faced dunnart (S. macroura)
• White-footed dunnart (S. leucopus)
• White-tailed dunnart (S. granulipes)
• Numbat (M. fasciatus)
• Thylacine (T. cynocephalus)

Order Notoryctemorphia

Notoryctidae are a family of marsupials comprising the marsupial moles and their fossil relatives. The extant notoryctid species are subterranean, and are extremely well adapted to moving through sand plains and dunes, these are the two species of genus Notoryctes Stirling, 1891. The animals are known as itjaritjari, species N. typhlops, and kakarratul, a name for species N. caurinus. Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae, are highly specialized marsupial mammals, known from two species found at the Australian interior.

• Notoryctes typhlops (southern marsupial mole, known as the itjaritjari by the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people in Central Australia).
• Notoryctes caurinus (northern marsupial mole, also known as the kakarratul)

Notoryctids are small, fossorial mammals that anatomically converge on other fossorial (and distantly related) mammals, such as living golden moles (Chrysochloridae) and extinct epoicotheres (Pholidota).

Order Peramelemorphia – List of Peramelemorphs

Peramelemorphia is an order of Australian marsupial mammals. Members of this order are called peramelemorphs and include bandicoots and bilbies. They are found in Australia and New Guinea, generally in forests, shrublands, grasslands, and savannas, though some species are found in inland wetlands and deserts.

• Pig-footed bandicoot (C. ecaudatus)
• Clara’s echymipera (E. clara)
• Common echymipera (E. kalubu)
• David’s echymipera (E. davidi)
• Long-nosed echymipera (E. rufescens)
• Menzies’ echymipera (E. echinista)
• Arfak pygmy bandicoot (M. aplini)
• Mouse bandicoot (M. murina)
• Papuan bandicoot (M. papuensis)
• Striped bandicoot (M. longicauda)
• Seram bandicoot (R. prattorum)
• Golden bandicoot (I. auratus)
• Northern brown bandicoot (I. macrourus)
• Southern brown bandicoot (I. obesulus)
• Desert bandicoot (P. eremiana)
• Eastern barred bandicoot (P. gunnii)
• Long-nosed bandicoot (P. nasuta)
• Western barred bandicoot (P. bougainville)
• Giant bandicoot (P. broadbenti)
• Raffray’s bandicoot (P. raffrayana)
• Greater bilby (M. lagotis)
• Lesser bilby (M. leucura)

Order Diprotodontia – List of Diprotodonts

• H. moschatus (Musky rat-kangaroo – Hypsiprymnodon)
• D. bennettianus (Bennett’s tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. dorianus (Doria’s tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. goodfellowi (Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. inustus (Grizzled tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. lumholtzi (Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. matschiei (Matschie’s tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. mayri (Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. mbaiso (Dingiso – Dendrolagus)
• D. notatus (Ifola – Dendrolagus)
• D. pulcherrimus (Golden-mantled tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. scottae (Tenkile – Dendrolagus)
• D. spadix (Lowlands tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. stellarum (Seri’s tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. ursinus (Ursine tree-kangaroo – Dendrolagus)
• D. atrata (Black dorcopsis – Dorcopsis)
• D. hageni (White-striped dorcopsis – Dorcopsis)
• D. luctuosa (Gray dorcopsis – Dorcopsis)
• D. muelleri (Brown dorcopsis – Dorcopsis)
• D. macleayi (Macleay’s dorcopsis – Dorcopsulus (forest wallaby))
• D. vanheurni (Small dorcopsis – Dorcopsulus (forest wallaby))
• L. asomatus (Lake Mackay hare-wallaby – Lagorchestes)
• L. conspicillatus (Spectacled hare-wallaby – Lagorchestes)
• L. hirsutus (Rufous hare-wallaby – Lagorchestes)
• L. leporides (Eastern hare-wallaby – Lagorchestes)
• M. fuliginosus (Western grey kangaroo – Macropus)
• M. giganteus (Eastern grey kangaroo – Macropus)
• N. agilis (Agile wallaby – Notamacropus (brush wallaby))
• N. dorsalis (Black-striped wallaby – Notamacropus (brush wallaby))
• N. eugenii (Tammar wallaby – Notamacropus (brush wallaby))
• N. greyi (Toolache wallaby – Notamacropus (brush wallaby))
• N. irma (Western brush wallaby – Notamacropus (brush wallaby))
• N. parma (Parma wallaby – Notamacropus (brush wallaby))
• N. parryi (Whiptail wallaby – Notamacropus (brush wallaby))
• N. rufogriseus (Red-necked wallaby – Notamacropus (brush wallaby))
• O. antilopinus (Antilopine kangaroo – Osphranter)
• O. bernardus (Black wallaroo – Osphranter)
• O. robustus (Common wallaroo – Osphranter)
• O. rufus (Red kangaroo – Osphranter)
• O. fraenata (Bridled nail-tail wallaby – Onychogalea)
• O. lunata (Crescent nail-tail wallaby – Onychogalea)
• O. unguifera (Northern nail-tail wallaby – Onychogalea)
• P. assimilis (Allied rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. brachyotis (Short-eared rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. burbidgei (Monjon – Petrogale)
• P. coenensis (Cape York rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. concinna (Nabarlek – Petrogale)
• P. godmani (Godman’s rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. herberti (Herbert’s rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. inornata (Unadorned rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. lateralis (Black-flanked rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. mareeba (Mareeba rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. penicillata (Brush-tailed rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. persephone (Proserpine rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. purpureicollis (Purple-necked rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. rothschildi (Rothschild’s rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. sharmani (Mount Claro rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• P. xanthopus (Yellow-footed rock-wallaby – Petrogale)
• S. brachyurus (Quokka – Setonix)
• T. billardierii (Tasmanian pademelon – Thylogale)
• T. browni (Brown’s pademelon – Thylogale)
• T. brunii (Dusky pademelon – Thylogale)
• T. calabyi (Calaby’s pademelon – Thylogale)
• T. lanatus (Mountain pademelon – Thylogale)
• T. stigmatica (Red-legged pademelon – Thylogale)
• T. thetis (Red-necked pademelon – Thylogale)
• W. bicolor (Swamp wallaby – Wallabia)
• L. fasciatus (Banded hare-wallaby – Lagostrophus)
• A. rufescens (Rufous rat-kangaroo – Aepyprymnus)
• B. anhydra (Desert bettong – Bettongia)
• B. gaimardi (Eastern bettong – Bettongia)
• B. lesueur (Boodie – Bettongia)
• B. penicillata (Woylie – Bettongia)
• B. pusilla (Nullarbor dwarf bettong – Bettongia)
• B. tropica (Northern bettong – Bettongia)
• C. campestris (Desert rat-kangaroo – Caloprymnus)
• P. gilbertii (Gilbert’s potoroo – Potorous)
• P. longipes (Long-footed potoroo – Potorous)
• P. platyops (Broad-faced potoroo – Potorous)
• P. tridactylus (Long-nosed potoroo – Potorous)
• A. pygmaeus (Feathertail glider – Acrobates)
• D. pennatus (Feather-tailed possum – Distoechurus)
• D. megalura (Great-tailed triok – Dactylopsila)
• D. palpator (Long-fingered triok – Dactylopsila)
• D. tatei (Tate’s triok – Dactylopsila)
• D. trivirgata (Striped possum – Dactylopsila)
• G. leadbeateri (Leadbeater’s possum – Gymnobelideus)
• P. abidi (Northern glider – Petaurus)
• P. australis (Yellow-bellied glider – Petaurus)
• P. biacensis (Biak glider – Petaurus)
• P. breviceps (Sugar glider – Petaurus)
• P. gracilis (Mahogany glider – Petaurus)
• P. norfolcensis (Squirrel glider – Petaurus)
• H. lemuroides (Lemuroid ringtail possum – Hemibelideus)
• P. volans (Southern greater glider – Petauroides)
• P. dahli (Rock-haunting ringtail possum – Petropseudes)
• P. occidentalis (Western ringtail possum – Pseudocheirus)
• P. peregrinus (Common ringtail possum – Pseudocheirus)
• P. canescens (Lowland ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus)
• P. caroli (Weyland ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus)
• P. cinereus (Daintree River ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus)
• P. forbesi (Painted ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus)
• P. herbertensis (Herbert River ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus)
• P. larvatus (Masked ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus)
• P. mayeri (Pygmy ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus)
• P. schlegeli (Vogelkop ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus)
• P. albertisii (D’Albertis’s ringtail possum – Pseudochirops)
• P. archeri (Green ringtail possum – Pseudochirops)
• P. corinnae (Plush-coated ringtail possum – Pseudochirops)
• P. coronatus (Reclusive ringtail possum – Pseudochirops)
• P. cupreus (Coppery ringtail possum – Pseudochirops)
• T. rostratus (Honey possum – Tarsipes)
• B. parvus (Mountain pygmy possum – Burramys)
• C. caudatus (Long-tailed pygmy possum – Cercartetus)
• C. concinnus (Western pygmy possum – Cercartetus)
• C. lepidus (Tasmanian pygmy possum – Cercartetus)
• C. nanus (Eastern pygmy possum – Cercartetus)
• A. melanotis (Talaud bear cuscus – Ailurops)
• A. ursinus (Sulawesi bear cuscus – Ailurops)
• P. alexandrae (Gebe cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. carmelitae (Mountain cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. gymnotis (Ground cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. intercastellanus (Eastern common cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. lullulae (Woodlark cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. matabiru (Blue-eyed cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. matanim (Telefomin cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. mimicus (Southern common cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. orientalis (Northern common cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. ornatus (Ornate cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. rothschildi (Rothschild’s cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. sericeus (Silky cuscus – Phalanger)
• P. vestitus (Stein’s cuscus – Phalanger)
• S. kraemeri (Admiralty Island cuscus – Spilocuscus)
• S. maculatus (Common spotted cuscus – Spilocuscus)
• S. papuensis (Waigeou cuscus – Spilocuscus)
• S. rufoniger (Black-spotted cuscus – Spilocuscus)
• S. wilsoni (Blue-eyed spotted cuscus – Spilocuscus)
• S. celebensis (Sulawesi dwarf cuscus – Strigocuscus)
• S. pelengensis (Banggai cuscus – Strigocuscus)
• T. caninus (Short-eared possum – Trichosurus)
• T. cunninghami (Mountain brushtail possum – Trichosurus)
• T. johnstonii (Coppery brushtail possum – Trichosurus)
• T. vulpecula (Common brushtail possum – Trichosurus)
• W. squamicaudata (Scaly-tailed possum – Wyulda)
• P. cinereus (Koala – Phascolarctos)
• L. krefftii (Northern hairy-nosed wombat – Lasiorhinus)
• L. latifrons (Southern hairy-nosed wombat – Lasiorhinus)
• V. ursinus (Common wombat – Vombatus)

What is a Marsupial

Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a pouch. Living marsupials include opossums, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies, and bandicoots among others, while many extinct species, such as the thylacine, are also known.

Overall, marsupials exhibit remarkable diversity in size, shape, and lifestyle, with various species occupying different ecological niches across their respective regions.

For an improvement in the list of marsupials, feel free to contact us.