Infraclass
Placentalia (Placental mammals)
Reithrodontomys megalotis. Photo: (c) J. N. Stuart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
Placentalia is one of the three extant subdivisions of the class of animals Mammalia; the other two are Monotremata and Marsupialia. The placentals are partly distinguished from other mammals 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, though for a relatively briefer period, giving birth to less developed…
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