Placentalia

"Placental" redirects here. For the organ interfacing between a placental mammalian mother and a fetus, see Placenta.

Placentals
Temporal range: Paleocene-Holocene 66.0–0 Ma Possible Late Cretaceous record
Common vampire batEastern gray squirrelPlains zebraAardvarkHumpback whaleBlack and rufous elephant shrewHumanGround pangolinSunda flying lemurWest Indian manateeEuropean hedgehogNine-banded armadilloSouthern elephant sealAsian elephantReindeerGiant anteaterGiant pandaAmerican pika
Placentals from different orders.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Clade: Eutheria
Infraclass: Placentalia
Owen, 1837
Subgroups

For extinct groups, see text

Placental mammals (infraclass Placentalia /plæsənˈteɪliə/) are one of the three extant subdivisions of the class Mammalia, the other two being Monotremata and Marsupialia. Placentalia contains the vast majority of extant mammals, which are partly distinguished from monotremes and marsupials in that the fetus is carried in the uterus of its mother to a relatively late stage of development. The name is something of a misnomer, considering that marsupials also nourish their fetuses via a placenta,[1] though for a relatively briefer period, giving birth to less-developed young, which are then nurtured for a period inside the mother's pouch. Placentalia represents the only living group within Eutheria, which contains all mammals that are more closely related to placentals than they are to marsupials.

  1. ^ Renfree, M. B. (March 2010). "Review: Marsupials: placental mammals with a difference". Placenta. 31 Supplement: S21–6. doi:10.1016/j.placenta.2009.12.023. PMID 20079531.