39 Life in the Pouch-Mid

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

育儿袋中的生活焦点问题有袋动物与其他哺乳动物有什么不同?

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!

这是澳大利亚一个温暖、阳光明媚的日子。 一群袋鼠在森林边缘休息。 一只叫小袋鼠的小袋鼠跳来跳去，啃着一些草。 但是小袋鼠累了。 它跳向母亲，爬进母亲身体前面的育儿袋里。 在育儿袋里，小袋鼠既温暖又安全。 它可以喝妈妈的奶，还可以睡个午觉。 只有少数几种动物有这种特殊的育儿袋。 这些动物被称为有袋动物(mar-SOO-pee-ulz)。 老古板!袋鼠是惊人的跳跃者。 他们一次可以跳13米(43英尺)，但他们不能向后跳!

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.

有袋动物是哺乳动物哺乳动物是用母体的乳汁喂养幼仔的动物。 它们有毛发。这些婴儿出生时看起来很像他们的父母，只是小一些。 有袋动物是一种哺乳动物。 它们有皮毛，它们的宝宝喝牛奶。 但是有袋动物有一个特殊的生命周期。 婴儿出生后，生活在母亲身体上的育儿袋里。

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?

在出生前，哺乳动物宝宝在妈妈的身体里生长。 大多数哺乳动物都有胎盘(plah - sen -tuh)。 这个器官将婴儿依附在母亲身上。 它把母亲的营养传递给正在成长的婴儿。 婴儿会长几周或几个月，一旦它能在母亲外面生存，它就出生了。 有袋类动物没有胎盘。 婴儿在母亲体内生长的时间很短。 这个婴儿出生时很小。 它还没有做好在外部世界生存的准备。 有袋动物宝宝如何保证安全? 它如何获得生长所需的营养呢?

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.

雌性有袋动物的腹部有一层皮。 这是育儿袋。这是一个安全的地方，有袋动物宝宝可以在这里继续成长。 有袋动物宝宝叫小袋鼠，刚开始只有软糖那么大!它没有毛，眼睛是闭着的。 一出生，脆弱的小袋鼠就必须一路爬到妈妈的育儿袋里。 母熊舔着自己的皮毛，为幼崽开辟一条路。 小袋鼠的前腿相对它的体型来说很强壮。 它爬上潮湿的皮毛，进入育儿袋。 一旦进入，它就喝牛奶，在旅途中休息。

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!

在育儿袋里母亲的育儿袋的开口周围有肌肉，使其紧紧闭合。 袋子里有一层毛皮。 里面，它是柔软和温暖的。 幼崽在成长过程中一直依附着母亲，不停地喝她的奶。 它可能会在育儿袋里呆上一年!