39 Life in the Pouch-Mid

Life in the Pouch FOCUS Question How are marsupials different from other mammals?

A Joey's Life It's a warm, sunny day in Australia. A group of kangaroos rests at the edge of a forest. A young kangaroo, called a joey, hops around and nibbles on some grass. But then the joey gets tired. It hops over to its mother and climbs inside a pouch on the front of her body. Inside the pouch, the joey is warm and safe. It can drink its mother's milk and enjoy a nap. Only a few kinds of animals have this special pouch. These animals are called marsupials (mar-SOO-pee-ulz). Wowser! Kangaroos are amazing jumpers. They can hop 13 meters (43 ft.) in one leap But they can't hop backward!

Marsupials Are Mammals Mammals are animals that feed their young with milk from the mother's body. They have hair or fur. The babies are born looking much like their parents only smaller. Marsupials are a kind of mammal. They have fur, and their babies drink milk. But marsupials have a special life cycle. After a baby is born, it lives inside a pouch on its mother's body.

Being Born Before they are born, baby mammals grow inside their mother's body. Most mammals have a placenta (pluh-SEN-tuh). This organ attaches the baby to the mother. It carries nutrients from the mother to the growing baby. The baby grows for weeks or months, Once it can survive outside its mother it is born. Marsupials don't have a placenta. The baby grows inside its mother for only a short time. The baby is born very small. It is not yet ready to survive in the outside world. How does the baby marsupial stay safe? How does it get the nutrients it needs to grow?

Getting to the Pouch Female marsupials have a flap or pocket of skin on their belly. This is the pouch. It is a safe place where a baby marsupial can keep growing. A baby marsupial is called a joey, It starts out the size of a jellybean! It has no fur, and its eyes are closed. As soon as it is born, the fragile little joey must climb all the way up to its mother's pouch. The mother licks her fur to make a path for her baby. The joey's front legs are strong for its size. It climbs up the wet fur and into the pouch. Once inside, it drinks milk and rests from its journey.

In the Pouch The mother's pouch has muscles around the opening that keep it tightly closed. The pouch is lined with fur. Inside, it is soft and warm. The joey stays attached to its mother and drinks her milk nonstop while it grows. It may stay in the pouch for up to a year!