Marsupials

mammals · pouches · Australia · unique babies

Babies in pouches. Baby marsupials are born super tiny and underdeveloped, so they crawl into their mother's pouch on her belly where it's warm and safe. They stay there drinking milk and growing bigger until they're ready to hop or climb around on their own.

Kangaroos and cousins. Marsupials include kangaroos, koalas, wombats, and wallabies, which are all found mainly in Australia and nearby regions. Each one has evolved special ways to survive in its own habitat, from deserts to forests.

Found in surprising places. While most marsupials live in Australia, some opossums live in North and South America. This tells us that marsupials spread across the world millions of years ago.

Unique reproduction. Unlike most mammals, marsupials don't keep their babies inside for as long before birth. This special strategy works great for them and is one of the things that makes marsupials so different from other mammal groups.

Incredible diversity. From the tiny honey possum to the powerful Tasmanian devil, marsupials come in all shapes and sizes. They've adapted to eat everything from leaves and insects to meat, showing how successful this group of mammals really is.