Kangaroo why the pouch

Kangaroos are perhaps the most famous of the marsupials, many of which live in Australia, according to the San Diego Zoo. Other Australian marsupials include the koala and the wombat. Only one marsupial — the opossum — lives in the United States, according to National Geographic. Adult female opossums have pouches just like kangaroos and other marsupials. The pouches are used for carrying around their babies after birth. The pouches are a critical part of the reproductive process because marsupials do not have as long a gestation period as other mammals, the San Diego Zoo reports.

Their offspring are born very small and crawl into the pouch after birth to continue developing. An opossum has a gestation period of 12 or 13 days, then gives birth to babies that are about the size of a honeybee, according to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web. For comparison, raccoons have a gestation period of 63 to 65 days.

Their babies are also small, about 3 inches long and weighing less than a quarter-pound, but they are much larger than an opossum's and more easily able to survive immediately after birth.

Female opossums typically give birth to between six and 20 babies, and they are born deaf, blind, furless and with only two working legs, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The time they spend in their mother's fur-lined pouch is critical for their development and survival, but oftentimes some of the newborns die before they make it to the pouch. Once they crawl into the pouch, baby opossums latch onto a nipple, where they remain, able to nurse, for the next two months, the Department of Conservation reports.

Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. What do kangaroos keep in their pockets? Are kangaroos the only marsupials? How big are kangaroos when they're born? Wonder What's Next?

Try It Out Are you jumping for joy yet? Get a troop of friends or family members together to help you check out the following activities: Can you think like a kangaroo? Put yourself in a kangaroo's shoes and imagine what life would be like for a day.

Of course, you may be thinking, "But kangaroos don't wear shoes! Do some research to learn even more about kangaroos. Where do they live? What do they eat? What is a normal day like for a kangaroo? When you've finished some basic research on kangaroos, write a paragraph that answers this question: If you were a kangaroo, what would you keep in your pouch?

Kangaroos aren't the only animals with pouches. Jump online to visit the San Diego Zoo website to learn more about Marsupials. What is the only marsupial in North America? How many different species of marsupials are there? Have you ever seen a marsupial in person? Aren't they cute? They look so cuddly. You probably would like to take one home and keep it as a pet. Kangaroos and other marsupials don't make good pets, though, so the next best thing is to enjoy looking at these marsupial pictures online.

Which one do you think is the cutest? Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words marsupial mammal wombat koala opossum wallaby joey accommodate muscular hobby pouch hop travel female species survive balance native Take the Wonder Word Challenge.

Join the Discussion. Jade Le Feb 24, Feb 28, Hi, Jade! Only female kangaroos have pouches. Bruno Nov 17, Hi there, just wondering if different species of kangaroos can mate eg.

Red kangaroo and Eastrn grey. Many thanks. Nov 17, Excuse me I don't know if you guys saw my comment but I actually asked if you guys knew how do they get the jelly belly bean boozle challange to get to smell that horrible.

May 6, Apr 28, Mia Apr 26, I can already imagine Kangaroo Pants! Hi, Mia! That's funny! Apr 26, TC Apr 25, We agree, TC! We're glad you had fun exploring this Wonder about them! Maggie Mar 7, I loved this article! I knew a lot about kangaroos already, Because they are one of my favorite animals! I hope you have a good day wondering! Mar 9, I like this wonder but do you guys know how they get the bean boozell challenge to actually taste all those weird and wild flavors?

The worst one is barf and rotten egg. Apr 5, Feb 25, Thanks for your comment, sarahi! She waited until it was safe, then ran as fast as she could back to the gum tree. There was her joey, awake and ready to play. Together they went to look for the wombat, but he had gone. He was actually the great god Byamee who had put on a disguise.

Byamee had descended from the sky world to find out which of his creatures had the kindest heart. Now he had an answer that pleased him greatly: the kangaroo. Byamee wanted to give her the gift that would help her most of all. Peel the long strips of bark and make a dilly bag apron. Give it to the kangaroo mother and explain that she must tie it around her waist. And so they did. At the very moment the kangaroo mother tied the apron around her waist, Byamee transformed it into soft kangaroo fur.

It grew into her own flesh. Now she had a pouch in which to carry her baby joey. He could even sleep in there as she went about her daily tasks. The kangaroo mother was very happy with her gift. She thought about the other kangaroo mothers and about the wallaby mothers and the kangaroo rats and all the other marsupials.

So he decided to make pouches for all the other marsupial mothers. Ever since then, their babies almost never get lost. Strong and William Flood. Used with the permission of Bess Press, Inc. How the Kangaroo Got Her Pouch. Grade Level:.