marsupial

Introduction & Top Questions
Paleontology and recent history
Classification

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus)

Three eastern gray kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, graze on grass in a sunlit clearing with trees and tall grass in the background.

See the crawling movements of the fetal Australian tammar wallaby through ultrasound imaging, three days before their birth

At a Glance

marsupial summary

Quizzes

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Ultimate Animals Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Related Questions

How can nectar-feeding marsupials help pollinate flowers?
How did the brushtail possum adapt to environments changed by people?
How do kangaroos and wallabies fill ecological roles similar to deer and antelope?
How do marsupial gliders travel between trees?
How do marsupials differ from placental mammals in the development of their young?
How do marsupials reproduce while an older offspring is still in the pouch?
How do the reproductive tracts of female marsupials differ from those of placental mammals?
How does a marsupial pouch protect and nourish a newborn?
How does a newborn kangaroo reach its mother’s pouch?
How does a numbat use its tongue to feed on ants and termites?
How does diapause help kangaroo populations recover after drought?
How does the size of a quoll’s brain compare with that of a similarly sized placental cat?
How is the water opossum adapted to a semiaquatic lifestyle?
How large can a male red kangaroo grow?
How long do Virginia opossum young depend on their mother’s pouch?
How long do koala young stay in the pouch?
How long does a young kangaroo remain in its mother’s pouch?
What are the two major superorders of marsupials?
What is convergent evolution in marsupials and placental mammals?
What is the largest living marsupial?
What is the smallest marsupial species?
What part of the placental mammal brain is absent in marsupials?
Where did the earliest marsupials originate according to fossil evidence?
Which carnivorous marsupial is the largest living member of the dasyurid family?
Which introduced animals contributed to the decline of kangaroos and bandicoots in Australia?
Which marsupial is known for the loud rutting roars of its males?
Which marsupials fill ecological roles similar to cats and wolves?
Which marsupials form permanent cohesive social groups?
Which physical traits of marsupials help scientists classify them?
Why can different kangaroo teats produce different kinds of milk at the same time?
Why do marsupial moles resemble placental moles?
Why do most marsupials have limited vocal abilities?
Why do some marsupial species lack a fully developed pouch?
What is a marsupial?
Where do marsupials live?
How do marsupial pouches work?
What is a thylacine?
Why is the thylacine extinct?
What do koalas eat?
What is the breeding behavior of quokkas?
What is the main characteristics that define vertebrates?
How are vertebrates classified in terms of their morphology?
How do amphibians differ from reptiles in terms of reproduction?

Science Mammals Marsupials

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External Websites

Live Science - Why are There So Many Marsupials in Australia?
Natural History Museum - Marsupials might be the more evolved mammals
San Diego Zoo - Animals and Plants - Marsupial
A-Z Animals - Are Marsupials Mammals? Exploring Their Evolutionary Journey
Medicine LibreTexts - Mammals II / Marsupials
Animal Diversity Web - Metatheria
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Marsupial position on life-history continua and the potential contribution of life-history traits to population growth
The Royal Society Publishing - Proceedings B - The evolution of marsupial social organization
University of California Museum of Paleontology - Marsupial Mammal

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

marsupial - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
marsupial - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

marsupial

mammal

Also known as: Marsupialia, Metatheria

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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Last updated

Nov. 11, 2026 •History

marsupial, any of more than 250 species belonging to the infraclass Metatheria (sometimes called Marsupialia), a mammalian group characterized by premature birth and continued development of the newborn while attached to the nipples on the mother’s lower belly. The pouch—or marsupium, from which the group takes its name—is a flap of skin covering the nipples. Although prominent in many species, it is not a universal feature. In some species the nipples are fully exposed or...

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