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Animals With Pouches

Marsupials are mammals that carry their young, typically called joeys, in a pouch until they are old enough and big enough to take care of themselves. These pouches are usually located on the female marsupial's abdomen, with the opening facing upwards, towards their upper body and head. Marsupials are the dominant native animals of the isolated continent Australia, but they are also found in Africa, South America and the United States.

Kangaroos
- Kangaroos are perhaps the most famous of all the marsupials, and these herbivores are found in the savannas, plains, forests and woodlands of Australia, Tasmania and the surrounding islands. These marsupials weigh between 50 and 200 pounds, can survive long periods of time without water, have short, thumbless forelimbs and long tails that help them balance. Their powerful hind legs allow them to travel at speeds up to 30 miles per hour and jump distances up to 30 feet. Kangaroos live and travel in organized groups called "mobs" that are led by a dominant male. Female kangaroos give birth to a single offspring.
Koalas
- "Koala Bears" aren't really bears at all, but marsupials that have large, round, fuzzy ears that resemble those of bears. Their fur is deceptively coarse, as it looks soft and cuddly, but in reality feels like sheep's wool. Unlike most marsupials, koalas have pouches that open toward their hind legs. This adaptation is evidence of the koala's digging ancestors, as it helps keep dirt from getting into the pouches of other burrowing marsupials like wombats, which are close relatives of koalas.
Wallabies
- Wallabies are the much smaller cousins of kangaroos, as they rarely grow to weigh more than 50 pounds, but the largest species can reach up to 6 feet in length from head to tail. Primarily found in Australia and its surrounding islands, the different species of wallabies are named after their habitat, namely the brush, shrub and rock wallabies, or in the case of the hare wallaby, its rabbit-like appearance and behavior. These marsupials have powerful hind legs, used to travel distances quickly or deliver powerful kicks when fighting, and tails, which help them balance and support themselves when sitting down.
Opossums
- The Virginia opossum, scientific name Didelphis virginiana, is the only marsupial native to the United States and found north of Mexico. Opossums are nocturnal omnivores that are comfortable living in trees and on the ground. The image of opossums hanging by their tails from tree limbs is perhaps the most familiar image of these small marsupials. After the young leave their mother's pouch, they often stay close to her and continue to nurse for a couple months.

Animals & Science