Early Development of the Shoulder Girdle and Sternum in Marsupials (Mammalia: Metatheria)

The development of the breast-shoulder apparatus in the Marsupialia was inves­ tigated and compared with the conditions in Monotremata and Placentalia. The results were achieved by the investigation of material comprising altogether 109 histological serial sections of intrauterine embryos, neonates, and pouch young from 11 marsupial species. Additionally, 54 skeletons of subadult and adult marsupials from 25 species were included for comparison. The embryonic states show a strong similarity...