Exotic, beautiful, strange and bizarre are some of the words we can use to describe the numerous species belonging to the Animal Kingdom. Each species with its unique features and characteristics never fail to fascinate us. Animals are all beautiful in their own way and have a special role to play in the cycle of life.

Today we like to introduce you to one such fascinating group of animal, some of you may already be familiar with. They are members of the mammalian family but have a unique physical attribute that sets them apart from the rest of the mammals.

These mammals are classified as marsupials because they carry their young around in a pouch called a marsupium. Most of the marsupials are found in Australia and neighbouring islands with some living in South America.

The Kangaroos are the best known marsupials but koalas, possums, wombats, wallabies and bandicoots are also members of this group.

Did you know that the kangaroo babies or joeys are extremely small when they are born, at an early stage of their development? As they are not fully developed when the mother gives birth to them, these baby marsupials are still blind, naked (meaning they have no fur on their bodies) and very small in size.

In fact, you’ll find it hard to believe that a baby kangaroo is less than three centimetres long when it’s born. However, though so small in size and blind too, it is not helpless. It is strong enough to crawl up its mother’s furry stomach and climb into her warm, cosy pouch to get the milk it needs to grow stronger.

Once it finds its way to the mother’s pouch, the baby kangaroo which is called a joey will feed on its mother’s milk and not venture out for the next 33 weeks. Even after its development is complete, and the joey leaves the pouch to venture out, it returns to the pouch to feed or for protection at the first sign of danger, for several months more.

There are two types of giant kangaroos, the Red Kangaroo and the Grey Kangaroo and several smaller species of kangaroos such as the Tree kangaroo and the Wallaby.

The Wallaby is a graceful small kangaroo of which there are several species in Australia. Larger wallabies are about a metre tall while the smaller, short-tailed wallabies are the size of hares. Tree kangaroos are even smaller - about 70 centimetres. The wallaroos are medium sized kangaroos which are found in the grasslands of Australia, Tasmania and Papua New Guinea. They are also called the Mountain Kangaroos.

Another Australian mammal with a pouch is the Koala which is often mistakenly refereed to as a koala bear, for its bear-like appearance. Koalas are not bears - they are marsupials. They are cute and cuddly looking mammals that are endangered today, due to their selective diet; they eat only the leaves of 12 species of eucalyptus gum trees. Loss of habitat has led to a reduction of their favourite food.

The only aquatic marsupial, the Water Opossum also has a pouch with an opening that can be tightened while in water. This helps to keep its babies dry while it swims. The water opossum is a nocturnal animal which is rat-like in appearance and grows to about 30 cm (12 in) in length. It is found in Central and South America.

The Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial found in North America and holds the record for being the quickest breeder among the mammals. It has a pregnancy of just 8-13 days. The young weighing barelytwo grams(0.01 oz), are also born blind and without any fur like most marsupial babies.

They have to make the hard journey into their mother’s pouch but as they are not very strong more than a third of the infants die on the way. The American Opossum gives birth to about 25 infants in one litter. It has two litters annually.

Discovered less than a century ago, the Marsupial Mole can be found widely throughout Central and South America. Not more than 10-20 cm in length, including its tail, the Marsupial Mole changes its behaviour abruptly. It suddenly goes to sleep in the middle of frantic activity. After dropping to sleep while rushing about it would wake up and continue rushing about many minutes later.

The Thylacine is also another interesting animal with a pouch. It is called the kangaroo in wolf’s clothing and is believed to be extinct today. It was the only carnivorous marsupial.

Wombats are also marsupial that are found in Australia and Tasmania. Some of the species are plump with a small head and short legs and have a bear-like appearance. As the wombat is an animal that stays underground during the day it is constantly engaged in digging.

A pouch which opens horizontally in the front like that of the kangaroo’s is not practical because dirt could get into it when digging. So, the wombat’s pouch opens at the rear instead.

The Marsupial Mouse similar in size to mice and rats is found in Australia. It has strong hind legs like those of a kangaroo.Another animal that belongs to the group of mammals with pouches is the Australian Echidna or the Spiny Anteater.

It is a strange animal and even though it is not a typical marsupial, being classified as a montremes, it has a pouch like most marsupials. However, it does not give birth to live young; instead it lays a soft-shelled egg, like a reptile and breeds it in the pouch.

When we think of marsupials, we are of the view that all marsupials have pouches. It is not so. There are a few animals such as the Shrew Opossum and Numbat without a pouch. The numbat’s young attach themselves to the mother’s nipples when they are born.

Fact file

* Marsupials are generally mammals with pouches. The word marsupial is derived from the Latin word Marsupium which means pouch.

* Marsupials give birth to live young which are relatively under developed or premature. The foetus is called a joey.

* The pouch or marsupium is a loose fold of skin that covers the mother’s nipples to protect the joey while it suckles and develops.

* Not all marsupials have pouches. A few don’t have a pouch. Some pouches open horizontally at the top while others open at the bottom. The bilby’s pouch faces backwards.

* Over 200 species of marsupials are found in Australia and about another 100 in America (Mostly Central and South.)

* Ingram’s Planigale is the smallest living marsupial mammal. Found in Western Australia it is about 2.3 - 3.5 inches long.