Marsupial pouch

A fold of skin on some marsupials that shelters developing young after birth. Its form and position vary among species.

Marsupial reproduction: A reproductive pattern in which marsupials give birth to highly undeveloped young that continue developing after birth. Pouch care is one stage in this broader reproductive pattern.
Mammal: A vertebrate animal characterized by hair and milk-producing mammary glands. Marsupials and their pouch-bearing relatives belong to this broader animal group.
Kangaroo: A large grazing marsupial of Australia, with females that carry young in a forward-opening pouch. Its pouch is a familiar example of a protected, forward-facing nursery.
Placenta: An organ that develops during pregnancy and mediates exchange between a mother and her fetus. Placental mammals support more development before birth, unlike the usual pouch-centered marsupial pattern.
Marsupial: A mammal whose young are born at an early stage of development and typically continue growing while attached to a teat. Pouches occur in many, but not all, members of this mammalian group.
Mammary gland development: The formation and maturation of milk-producing organs in mammals. Pouch anatomy is closely tied to the placement and function of mammary glands.
Koala: An arboreal Australian marsupial that feeds mainly on eucalyptus leaves and carries young in a rear-opening pouch. Its rear-facing pouch contrasts with the forward-opening pouch of kangaroos.
Monotreme: An egg-laying mammal, including the platypus and echidnas. Monotremes nourish hatchlings without a marsupial pouch.
Marsupial birth: The birth of a highly undeveloped marsupial offspring, which typically crawls to a teat soon afterward. The pouch receives the newborn after this brief, physically demanding journey.
Neonate: A newborn animal in the earliest period after birth. Marsupial neonates are exceptionally undeveloped and rely on protected access to a teat.

Linked from 17 pages