Marsupials are best known for the Australian members of the family,
the kangaroo and the koala.
Marsupials are members of the mammal family. However, they are different
from other mammals because they have an abdominal pouch to carry
their young.
At birth, marsupial babies are not fully developed. The baby's hind
legs are just nubs. The baby lives and continues to develop in the mother's
pouch. The pouch, or marsupium, also has the mother's mammary glands for
feeding the baby. A baby kangaroo may live in its mother's pouch for 6
months.
Koalas and wombats are a little different from Kangaroos. The kangaroo's
pouch is on the front, while the koala and wombat pouches are on the back.