Marsupials

1. Marsupials

2. Marsupial • Marsupial is the common name for a group of mammals in which the females have a pouch. • This pouch is called a marsupium, and it is where offspring are carried. • Scientists have identified 260-280 species of marsupial. • Most of these species are found in Australia and New Zealand. Some do live in South America and 1 species, the Virginia opossum, lives in North America.

3. Marsupials • All marsupials share reproductive traits that distinguish them from other mammals. • One trait is the uterus, which is divided into right and left compartments. • Another trait is that marsupials lack a true placenta. Instead, pregnant females have a yolk sac that provides nutrition to the embryo. • Marsupial offspring are not born completely developed. They only weigh about .04 oz. at birth. • After they are born, they attach to a nipple inside the mother’s pouch. • This keeps the baby in place for several more weeks until it is fully developed.

4. Marsupials • The marsupial brain is also smaller than that of other placental mammals of similar size. • Marsupials have between 40-50teeth, while humans have 32 and elephants have only 6. • Smell and hearing are very important senses because marsupials are primarily nocturnal. • Most marsupials are solitary animals. • To mark their territory or communicate their desire to mate, they will use scent from their skin glands, urine, or feces. • Males and females do not form bonds beyond the time needed to mate.

5. A. Kangaroo • Kangaroos are very common marsupials found in Australia and New Guinea. • There are about 47 species of “roos.”

6. Kangaroo • Kangaroos can hop at about 40 mph and cover over 30 feet in one hop.

7. Kangaroo • Roos are very shy mammals that usually live about 6 years in the wild or up to 20 years in captivity. • Most are nocturnal. • Many are in danger of extinction, but are also considered pests by locals because of the way they damage crops.

8. Kangaroo • An adult male is called a buck, boomer, or jack. An adult female is called a doe, flyer, roo, or jill. A baby is called a joey. A group of roos is called a mob.

9. Kangaroo • Joey

10. A mob

11. Kangaroo • The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial. • Females have 1 baby at a time, which at birth is smaller than a cherry.

12. Kangaroo • Large male kangaroos are very powerful. • Males will sometimes fight over potential mates. • They will often lean back on their tail and box each other with their hind legs. • Roos can also bite and have sharp claws, which they will use in battle.

13. Kangaroo • Roos are herbivores. • They swallow their food without chewing it and later will regurgitate a cud and chew it. • Roos need very little water; they can go for months without it and will dig their own wells.

15. Kangaroo Scientific Name • Macropus rufus(Red Kangaroo)

16. B. Wallaby • Wallabies are small to medium-sized kangaroos. • There are about 30 species of wallaby and they are grouped based on their habitat:shrub wallabies; brush wallabies; and rock wallabies. • Some wallabies include the Quokka, Nabarlet, and the Pandemelon.

17. Wallaby • All wallabies have pouches. • Most wallabies are small, but some can get as big as 6 feet from head to tail. • They have powerful hind legs and tails. • These tails are not prehensile (gripping) but are still very useful. • Nail-tailed wallabies have a sharp growth at the end of their tail. • Wallabies are herbivores and eat mostly grasses and plants.

21. Wallaby Scientific Name • Macropus rufogriseus (Red-necked wallaby)

22. C. Opossum • The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial from North America. It lives in forests and prairies. • Opossums are nocturnal. They sleep during the day in a denin a hollow tree or in an abandoned rodent burrow.

23. Opossum • When opossums are attacked, they will “play possum”, pretending they are dead. • They remain still, do not blink, and their tongue hangs out. • This will often make their attacker lose interest. • Some opossum predators include foxes and dogs.

24. Opossum • The opossum is an omnivore. • They are also scavengers and will often go to human homes looking in garbage cans, dumpsters, and other containers. • They are attracted to carrion (decaying flesh of a dead animal) and will often be seen around roadkill.

25. Opossum • Opossums are excellent tree climbers and spend much of their time in trees. • To help them climb, they have very sharp claws that dig into the bark , and they also have a long prehensile tail that can be used as an extra limb.

28. Opossum Scientific Name • Didelphis virginiana

29. D. Koala • Koalas are often called “bears”, but they are marsupials. • Their closest relative is the wombat. • They live in Australia where eucalyptus trees are readily available.

30. Koala • After birth, the female carries the baby in her pouch for about 6 months. • After the baby leaves the pouch, it rides on its mother’s back or clings to her belly until it is about 1 year old.

31. Koala • Koalas rarely leave the eucalyptus tree. • They have sharp claws and opposable digits to help them stay in the tree. • They are nocturnal and sleep about 18 hours a day. • Koalas do not drink much water; they get most of their moisture from leaves. • They eat about 1-2 pounds of leaves per day. • They will even store snacks in cheek pouches.

32. Koala • Koalas have a special digestive feature: a long gut, which allows them to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by the poison found in those leaves. • They eat so many leaves that they begin to take on a distinct odor from the oil of the leaves.

33. Koala • Koalas are about 2-3 feet long and weigh 10-30 pounds. • Their fur protects them from cold weather and rain. • They have rough pads on their feet and hands which are used for climbing the trees they live in.

34. Koala • Koalas need a lot of space: about 100 trees per animal. • This is a problem in Australia as their woodlands are shrinking.

39. Koala Scientific Name • Phascolaractos cinereus

40. E. Wombat • Wombats are rare marsupials from dry areas in Australia and Tasmania. • It is the largest burrowing mammal. • Wombats are solitary and nocturnal. • They have very short legs, large paws, sharp claws, and a shuffling walk. • Their pouch is backwards facing to keep dirt out as it digs. • They have 4 incisor teeth that grow their entire life. • Wombats have very unusual, cube-shaped dung.

46. Wombat Scientific Name • Vombatus ursinus

47. F. Bandicoot • Bandicoots are pointy-nosed marsupials from Australia and New Guinea. • There are 19 different species that live in plains, forests, and deserts. • Their pouch faces backward (like in Wombats) so that dirt doesn’t get in. • These mammals are in danger of extinction.

48. Bandicoot • Bandicoots are nocturnal. • They dig very long, complex burrows. • The bilby is a type of bandicoot that digs burrows 5 feet long.

49. Bandicoot • Bandicoots are about 11-32 inches long with a 8 inch tail. • They have very powerful, clawedhind legs. • Bandicoots are omnivores. • They also need very little water and get what moisture they need from their food. • Bandicoots are hunted by foxes and feral cats. • They will go into their burrows for protection.