Friday, April 07, 2006

On to Marsupials!
Marsupials are, in some ways, weirder that monotremes. The females have pouches on their bellies where the barely-born embryo lives attached to one of the mother's nipples for several weeks. After it is grown enough, it can leave the pouch for short periods of time, coming back for warmth and food.

There are many marsupials, and although most are found in Australia, there are a few found in Central and South America. Those most commonly found in the US are called opossums, although there is also a more monkey-like species found in South America. In Australia, the virtual absence of placental mammals for such a long time allowed marsupials to radiate to fill all sorts of niches. There are carnivorous marsupials like the Tasmanian devil and the now extinct Tasmanian wolf. There are rodent-like marsupials, even ones like moles. There are kangaroos, koalas, and all the other most famous Australian marsupials. So there's your little blurb on marsupials. Pretty cool, eh?

3 comments:

  1. Not as cool as if you just wrote songs about them...better yet, singing science has to have one about marsupials...just post a link to that!

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  2. yah. what happened to your links?

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  3. I do so love Marsupials. I am a bit biased as they are my babies... Sugar Gliders that is. I have to say they have the oddest innerds I have ever heard of.

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