Sunday 25 October 2015

Monito del Monte: Tiny Living Fossil Is a Marsupial That Hibernates

Monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides) is a South American marsupial. Image courtesy of José Luis Bartheld, Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0).




Joel Kontinen

It’s known as a mountain monkey after its Spanish name monito del monte, but it is a marsupial. Evolutionists believe that it is a living fossil,

the only surviving member of an otherwise extinct lineage dating back more than 40 million years [sic]. Only slightly larger than a mouse, this little marsupial is an excellent climber. The base of the prehensile – or grasping – tail is capable of storing fat, which enables the animals to hibernate during the winter when food is scarce.

All living fossils are fully functional, highly specified creatures that defy Darwinian storytelling.

Source:

Zoological Society of London. 2006. EDGE of Existence programme.