Pouch (marsupial)

Kangaroo joey inside the pouch

Female Eastern Grey with mature joey in pouch

The pouch is a distinguishing feature of female marsupials (and rarely in the males as in the water opossum and the extinct Thylacine); the name marsupial is derived from the Latin marsupium, meaning "pouch". Marsupials give birth to a live but relatively undeveloped fetus called a joey. When the joey is born it crawls from inside the mother to the pouch. The pouch is a fold of skin with a single opening that covers the nipples to protect the joey as it continues to develop.

Pouches are different amongst the different marsupials: for example for Quolls and Tasmanian Devils, the pouch opens to the rear and the joey only has to travel a short distance to get to the opening (resting place) of the pouch. While in the pouch they are permanently attached to the nipple and once the young have developed they leave the pouch and do not return. The kangaroo's pouch opens horizontally on the front of the body, and the joey must climb a relatively long way to reach it. Kangaroos and wallabies allow their young to live in the pouch well after they are physically capable of leaving, often keeping two different joeys in the pouch, one tiny and one fully developed.

See also

• For more about the nature and usage of the pouch, see Marsupials#Description

This article about a marsupial is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Marsupial anatomy Marsupial stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Flood (video game) Ocean View Elementary School (Norfolk, Virginia) Look at other dictionaries: Pouch — may refer to:* Pouch (marsupial) used by female marsupials to rear their young through early infancy * Ileo anal pouch, an internal reservoir formed by connecting the end of the small intestine (the ileum) to the rectum * a Bag * Pouch, Germany a …   Wikipedia marsupial — n. & adj. n. any mammal of the order Marsupialia, characterized by being born incompletely developed and usu. carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother s belly. adj. 1 of or belonging to this order. 2 of or like a pouch (marsupial muscle).… …   Useful english dictionary Marsupial mole — Marsupial moles[1] Temporal range: 20–0 Ma …   Wikipedia marsupial — (adj.) 1690s, with + AL (Cf. al) (1) + Mod.L. marsupialis having a pouch, coined from L.L. marsupium pouch, purse (Classical L. marsuppium), from Gk. marsipion, dim. of marsipos bag, pouch, of foreign, possibly oriental, origin. As a noun from… …   Etymology dictionary marsupial — [mär so͞o′pē əl] adj. 1. of or like a marsupium, or pouch 2. of a superorder (Marsupialia) of mammals that lack a placenta and have an external abdominal pouch (marsupium) containing the teats: the incompletely developed offspring nurses within… …   English World dictionary Marsupial — Mar*su pi*al (m[aum]r*s[=u] p[i^]*al), a. [Cf. F. marsupial.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Having a pouch for carrying the immature young; of or pertaining to the Marsupialia. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anat. & Zo[ o]l.) Of or pertaining to a marsupium;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Marsupial frog — Marsupial Mar*su pi*al (m[aum]r*s[=u] p[i^]*al), a. [Cf. F. marsupial.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Having a pouch for carrying the immature young; of or pertaining to the Marsupialia. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anat. & Zo[ o]l.) Of or pertaining to a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English marsupial — ► NOUN ▪ a mammal, such as a kangaroo or a wombat, whose young are born incompletely developed and are carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother s belly. ORIGIN from Greek marsupion little purse …   English terms dictionary Marsupial — This article is about mammals. For frogs, see Marsupial frog. Marsupials[1][2] Temporal range: Early Cretaceous–Recent …   Wikipedia marsupial — /mahr sooh pee euhl/ n. 1. any viviparous, nonplacental mammal of the order Marsupialia, comprising the opossums, kangaroos, wombats, and bandicoots, the females of most species having a marsupium containing the mammary glands and serving as a… …   Universalium 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”