Marsupials (mar-SOUP-ee-alls)
are mammals with pockets.

Marsupial babies start inside the mother, but finish developing in “pockets”: pouches, or folds of skin.

Joey’s wild climb

When a tiny joey* leaves the birth canal, its eyes and back legs aren’t developed yet. To survive, the joey has to pull himself 6 to 8 inches up his mother’s belly, into the pouch, and find her nipple. The joey climbs using claws on its front legs (the claws later disappear).

The joey’s mom will hold still and smooth the way with her tongue, but Joey has to make the journey on his own.

Imagine a 20 inch human newborn climbing the equivalent distance: 23 feet!

*Kangaroo’s child

LIFE SIZE kangaroo at birth
[Caption with illustration]

What’s in a pouch that lets a kangaroo mom take care of joeys of different ages?

[Under a giant pocket flap are two bottles, a small, newborn-sized bottle and a large one, with different color “milk” and this explanation.]

Two different kinds of milk!

If a tiny newborn is attached to a teat, the milk is light. Another nipple, for an older joey, produces lots of rich milk.