Patagonian opossum Patagonian opossum The Patagonian opossum "(Lestodelphys halli)" is the sole species in genus Lestodelphys. The Patagonian opossum occurs further south, in Argentina, than any other living marsupial. Although distributed throughout some parts of southern Argentina, it is one of the least known mammals of South America. They have been spotted near Monte Phytogeographic Province, and in Patagonia Phytogeographic Province, yet there are no records of Patagonian opossums in central Patagonia, which leads mammalogists to believe that they can only live in the Patagonian steppe. There are two areas in the Patagonian steppe where these animals are often found: the province
Patagonian Ice Sheet than the extremely steep ones of present-day Patagonia. Unlike the Laurentide Ice Sheet or the ice sheets of Northern Europe, the Patagonian Ice Sheet did not cause major extinctions or loss of biodiversity. This is because the flora remaining to the north of the ice were isolated by the Atacama Desert and were able to speciate easily wherever suitable microclimates occurred. In fact, most of the original Antarctic flora survives today on land occupied by the ice sheet. However, there are indications that during the last deglaciation (17,500 years ago), the rapid melting of the northernmost extension of the Patagonian