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Article: Australia's animals.
- Article from:
- Science Weekly
- Article date:
- December 18, 1996
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Science Weekly, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Animals With Pouches
Australia, the "Island Continent," is a land of amazing animals! It's home to the kangaroo and koala, and the Tasmanian Devil lives on a nearby island. These unique mammals are called marsupials (mar soo'pee elz). Marsupial babies are born very, very tiny. Kangaroo and koala babies are no bigger than a bean. A "Tassie" is born the size of a grain of rice! Marsupial mothers carry their young in special pouches, where the babies, or joeys, sleep, drink milk, and grow.
When a kangaroo joey is about 4 months old, it sometimes comes out of its pouch to nibble on some grass. If a dingo (a wild dog) approaches, the joey will dive back ...