Tuesday 8 April 2014

ABC Wednesday, M for Marsupials

Wikipedia:

Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals living primarily in Australasia and the New World. A distinctive characteristic, common to most species, is that the young are carried in a pouch

Well-known marsupials include kangaroos, wallabies, the koalaopossums (colloquially possums) , wombats and the Tasmanian devil. Less well-known species of marsupials include the numbat, bandicoots, bettongs, the bilby, quolls and the quokka.

They are characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young, often residing in a pouch with the mother for a certain time after birth. 

The birth of a kangaroo

 


 

 

Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with 13 in Central America, and one in North America north of Mexico.




With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar . This week we are looking for words beginning with M.                                                                              

Some marsupials, like the wombat and Tasmanian Devil , have pouches  that

open backwards to avoid getting the pouch contaminated by sand and dirt during digging their burrows.

Tasmanian Devils.

Wombat

Possum feeding by night.

27 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Oh what an amazing and interesting post Wil. I knew that kangaroos carried their baby in the pouch of course, but I did not quite realize how undeveloped it was after birth... wonderful interesting information; you keep my brain active. Thanks for that. (I need that!)

Sylvia K said...

Oh, I completely agree with Sallie, Wil!!! I really enjoyed your post and photos for the day!! I did know some of the info that you shared, but there was a lot of interesting things that I didn't know and again, like Sallie I like to keep my brain active, too!! Thank you so much!! Wonderful!!

Anonymous said...

Aren't kangaroos so tiny when born! Lovely post.

Roger Owen Green said...

I thought possums and opossums were the same thing! Learned something.

Reader Wil said...

Hi Roger, I also thought that possums and opossums were the same. Here in the Netherlands they always speak about opossums, even if these animals don't exist here.

Reader Wil said...

Hi Sallie where is your blog? I see an empty place instead with your name! Thanks for your visit and nice comment.

Carver said...

Fascinating post and great shots.

Lisa said...

That is so fascinating. I've always loved to watch kangaroos and wallabies. Those newborn shots are amazing.

ellen b. said...

Such interesting looking animals and interesting facts...
Happy M to you!

MaR said...

Marvelous idea for M and a great post. They are so unique animals.

http://maremag.blogspot.com.es/2014/04/m-is-for-mulberry.html

Susan Moore said...

Thank you Wil - you always get me interested in learning more about your post topic - so fascinating. I had no idea baby kangaroos were so tiny!

Pat - Arkansas said...

Fascinating! Thanks be to the Creator who designed such unusual creatures for us to admire.

Photo Cache said...

what an informative post. i really like learning about the marsupials. the tasmanian devil is cuter than the one in the cartoon.

frankly my dear

Hildred said...

Thank you Wil, - great photos and I didn't realize the family of Marsupials was so large. Nature is so wonderful and diverse!

Indrani said...

Very detailed informative post!
Happy ABCW!

Hazel said...

Whoa! Tasmanian Devils! Infraclass is a new (to me) word. Those kangaroos look cute. Oh, and I just saw Roger's comment, learned something too.

Jama said...

We only have kangaroos in the zoo, and they are my favorite animals to visit.

AmitAag said...

Great, informative and an interesting post!

Anita Sabat said...

Marsupials are wondrous creatures. Australia removed cut-off from the rest of the world & has such unique marsupials. Nice to read!

Nabanita said...

This was so interesting... I never knew the babies were so underdeveloped after birth...

M for Meteoric Trips

Tanya Breese said...

pretty amazing that a kangaroo starts out so teeny tiny!

SamuraiFrog said...

When I was a kid, I had a National Geographic book about marsupials. I always thought they were so fascinating and different. My favorite house at the Brookfield Zoo was the Australia House, with the kangaroos and the wombats. Even looking at kangaroos today makes me remember how exhilarated they made me feel as a child.

Unknown said...

So many marsupials in Australia. Good luck with the cyclone.

Ann said...

I love seeing how the mothers were taking care of the babies with tender care.
Ann

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

It amazes me immensely to see such small babies, and they know how to crawl to the mum's pouch.

Trubes said...

What a most interesting and informative post Wil I thoroughly enjoyed it. so many species too!
I rather like the Koalas and Wombats, I wouldn't like to be too near a kangaroo though !

Best wishes,

Di.x

MastHoliday said...

Great post!