Marsupial
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Marsupial, common name for a group of mammals typically distinguished by a pouch in the female, called a marsupium, where offspring are carried. The kangaroo, koala, wombat, and opossum are well-known marsupials, as are other less-familiar animals, such as the numbat, bandicoot, ringtail possum, and thylacine. These unusual creatures range in size from the tiny, mouselike ningaui, which measures about 5 cm (about 2 in) long and weighs a mere 2.8 g (0.1 oz), to the gray and red kangaroos, which can reach lengths of 2.5 m (8 ft), stand up to 1.8 m (6 ft) tall, and weigh 90 kg (200 lb).
Scientific classification: Marsupials make up the scientific order Marsupialia. The Virginia opossum is classified as Didelphis virginiana and the whiptail wallaby as Macropus parryi.
See Pictures of Mammals
Marsupial, common name for a group of mammals typically distinguished by a pouch in the female, called a marsupium, where offspring are carried. The kangaroo, koala, wombat, and opossum are well-known marsupials, as are other less-familiar animals, such as the numbat, bandicoot, ringtail possum, and thylacine. These unusual creatures range in size from the tiny, mouselike ningaui, which measures about 5 cm (about 2 in) long and weighs a mere 2.8 g (0.1 oz), to the gray and red kangaroos, which can reach lengths of 2.5 m (8 ft), stand up to 1.8 m (6 ft) tall, and weigh 90 kg (200 lb).
Scientific classification: Marsupials make up the scientific order Marsupialia. The Virginia opossum is classified as Didelphis virginiana and the whiptail wallaby as Macropus parryi.
See Pictures of Mammals
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