How do marsupials get a pouch?

Answer 1

The main reason why a kangaroo has a pouch is that, like all marsupials, the young are born very undeveloped after a gestation period that is much shorter than that of placental mammals of similar size. Upon birth, the joey must crawl to the mother's pouch where it attaches themselves to a teat. The teat swells in the joey's mouth, securing it in place so that it can continue its development within the safety of the pouch, much as a placental mammal protects its baby within its womb. The pouch is essential to the development of the young, functioning as the womb does in placental mammals.

The kangaroo's pouch is developed to carry around the baby kangaroo (called a 'joey') until it is large and strong enough to catch up to the mother or defend itself. There are many predators in the Australian outback that can easily prey on a young joey, and while adult kangaroos can defend themselves and jump away quickly from danger, joeys cannot.

It is only when the joey reaches at least 7-8 months old that the need to keep safe from predators is a consideration. Any joey dislodged from the pouch prior to this stands little chance of survival.
Kangaroo pouches are used by the embryo to develop before it is old enough to survive on its own.
The pouch of a kangaroo is generally assocaited with carrying the young joey. However, there is much more to its purpose than that.

The main reason why a kangaroo has a pouch is that, like all marsupials, the young are born very undeveloped after a gestation period that is much shorter than that of placental mammals of similar size. Upon birth, the joey must crawl to the mother's pouch where it attaches themselves to a teat. The teat swells in the joey's mouth, securing it in place so that it can continue its development within the safety of the pouch, much as a placental mammal protects its baby within its womb. The pouch is essential to the development of the young, functioning as the womb does in placental mammals.

Answer 2

Marsupial young (joeys) are born extremely undeveloped. Most of their development actually takes place in the pouch, where they latch onto a teat and stay attached (the teat swell in their mouth) until they are old enough to begin short trips leaving the pouch. Marsupial mothers therefore carry their young in the pouch until they are old enough to begin walking and feeding by themselves.

Answer 3

Yes, generally they do. The pouch is used to protect offspring, because marsupials give birth to undeveloped young (joeys). The pouch allows them to develop.

However, not all marsupials have pouches. In the case of some marsupials, such as numbats, the young cling by instinct to the mother's underbelly, but are still held firmly in place by the teat which swells inside their mouth, adhering them in place while they develop. meanwhile, the swamp antechinus develops just a flap of skin for a pouch during breeding season. The kultarr and kowari also have just a fold of skin.

Answer 4

Baby marsupials (joeys) need to be nurtured in a pouch because they are born extremely undeveloped. Most of their development actually takes place in the pouch, where they latch onto a teat and stay attached (the teat swell in their mouth) until they are old enough to begin short trips leaving the pouch. Marsupial mothers therefore carry their young in the pouch until they are old enough to begin walking and feeding by themselves.

There is a small number of marsupials which do not have fully developed abdominal pouches. these animals, which include such creatures as the numbat, still remain attached to the teat and cling by instinct to the mother's underbelly until they are old enough to be transferred to a burrow.

Answer 5

No, but very few marsupials do not have pouches. These include the numbat and the red-tailed phascogale.

Answer 6

Female marsupials are born with a pouch.