What Are Marsupials?

A newborn Red Kangaroo weighs less than a gram. It’s about the size of a jelly bean, it has no fur, and its eyes and ears are still sealed shut. Within minutes of being born, it hauls itself up through its mum’s fur and into her pouch. No help, no map.

That tiny climb is the best answer to the question: what are marsupials? A marsupial is a type of mammal known for a unique way of raising its young. Instead of growing fully inside the mother’s body, baby marsupials are born very early and very small. They crawl into a skin pocket on the mother’s belly, called a pouch, to drink milk and finish growing.

A young marsupial is called a joey, whether it’s a Kangaroo, a Koala or a Wombat. A short pregnancy followed by a long stay in the pouch is what sets marsupials apart from placental mammals like humans, dogs and horses.

There are more than 300 marsupial species in the world, from Dunnarts that weigh a few grams to Red Kangaroos that can stand taller than you. Australia has more of them than anywhere else on Earth. Here’s who they are, how long they’re pregnant and where to find them.

Common Examples of Marsupials

Any list of marsupials starts with the famous faces:

• Kangaroos and Wallabies: Macropods, which means “big foot”. Powerful back legs for hopping, a strong tail for balance.
• Koalas: Tree-dwellers that eat almost nothing but eucalyptus leaves. The leaves are low in energy, so Koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day. Fair enough.
• Wombats: Stocky, burrowing grazers. Their pouch faces backwards, so mum can dig without filling it with dirt.
• Opossums: The only marsupials in North America, with plenty of relatives across Central and South America.
• Tasmanian Devils: The largest carnivorous marsupial alive today, with a bite (and a screech) to match the name.

They look and live very differently, but every one of them starts life the same way: born tiny, then raised in the pouch or close to mum’s belly.

How Long Are Marsupials Pregnant?

Not long at all. Most marsupial pregnancies last between two and five weeks. The Stripe-faced Dunnart, a small carnivorous marsupial from inland Australia, is pregnant for around 11 days, one of the shortest pregnancies of any known mammal.

The real growing happens in the pouch, and that can take months. Here’s how a few well-known species compare (figures are approximate and vary between individuals):

Remember that jelly bean-sized Red Kangaroo joey? By the time it leaves the pouch for good, it can weigh several kilograms.

Kangaroos and many Wallabies also have a clever trick called embryonic diapause. A mother can mate again soon after giving birth, but the new embryo pauses its development while the older joey is still in the pouch. Once the pouch is free, or conditions improve after a drought, the embryo starts growing again.

So one mum can be looking after a joey at foot, a joey in the pouch and an embryo on hold, all at once. She can even make two different types of milk from separate teats, one for each joey.

Life in the Pouch

A joey’s first weeks in the pouch are spent in one spot. Once it finds a teat, the teat swells in its mouth and holds it firmly in place. It stays attached like this for weeks, sometimes months, drinking milk around the clock.

Then the changes come quickly. Fur grows in, eyes open and the joey starts to fill out. In Kangaroos, this is when you might spot a head, a foot or a tail sticking out of the pouch. Sometimes all three at once.

Next comes the in-and-out stage. The joey takes short trips outside, then dives back in head first whenever something spooks it, usually landing upside down before wriggling the right way round. Once it’s too big to fit, it becomes a joey at foot, staying close to mum and still poking its head in for a drink.

The milk changes as the joey grows, shifting in fat and protein to suit each stage. That’s how a Kangaroo can feed a newborn and an older joey at the same time with two completely different milks.

Not every marsupial does it the same way. Before a Koala joey moves on to eucalyptus leaves, it eats pap, a soft dropping from mum that carries the gut microbes it needs to digest them. Not a glamorous first meal, but an important one. Tasmanian Devils can give birth to 20 or more tiny young but have only four teats, so only the first four to latch on survive.

Where Do Marsupials Live?

Most marsupials live in Australia and nearby islands, including Tasmania, New Guinea and parts of eastern Indonesia. Around two-thirds of the world’s marsupial species are found in this part of the world.

Some marsupials live in North and South America too. Central and South America are home to around 100 species of Opossum, plus the Shrew Opossums of the Andes and the Monito del Monte, a small tree-climber from the forests of Chile and Argentina. The Virginia Opossum is North America’s only marsupial, and it ranges as far north as southern Canada.

How did they end up so far apart? Millions of years ago, South America, Antarctica and Australia were joined as part of the supercontinent Gondwana, and marsupials spread across all three. When Australia broke away, its marsupials evolved with very little competition from placental mammals. That’s why they took on so many different jobs: grazers, climbers, gliders, burrowers and hunters.

Today, Australian marsupials live in almost every habitat on the continent:

• Deserts and arid plains: Red Kangaroos, Bilbies and Mulgaras cope with heat and scarce water.
• Rainforests: Lumholtz’s and Bennett’s Tree-kangaroos climb through the canopy in Far North Queensland.
• Eucalypt forests and woodlands: Koalas, Gliders and Possums live high in the trees.
• Grasslands and coastal heath: Eastern Grey Kangaroos and many Wallaby species graze in open country.
• Alpine country: The Mountain Pygmy-possum hibernates under the snow in the Australian Alps.
• Suburbs: Brushtail and Ringtail Possums move into backyards and roof spaces, invited or not.

Australian Marsupials List

Australia has more than 150 native marsupial species, so a full list of marsupials would fill a field guide. This Australian marsupials list groups the best-known species by family.

Kangaroos, Wallabies and Relatives

• Red Kangaroo, the largest marsupial in the world
• Eastern Grey Kangaroo
• Western Grey Kangaroo
• Common Wallaroo (also called the Euro)
• Red-necked Wallaby
• Swamp Wallaby
• Agile Wallaby
• Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
• Quokka
• Red-legged Pademelon
• Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo

Rat-kangaroos, Potoroos and Bettongs

• Musky Rat-kangaroo, the smallest member of the Kangaroo family tree
• Long-nosed Potoroo
• Brush-tailed Bettong (Woylie)

Koala

The Koala is the only living member of its family. It’s found along the east coast and in parts of South Australia, and it’s easily one of the most recognised Australian marsupials.

Wombats

• Common Wombat (also called the Bare-nosed Wombat)
• Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
• Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, one of the rarest mammals on Earth

Possums and Gliders

• Common Brushtail Possum
• Common Ringtail Possum
• Sugar Glider
• Greater Glider
• Leadbeater’s Possum, Victoria’s faunal emblem
• Mountain Pygmy-possum
• Honey Possum, which lives on nectar and pollen

Carnivorous Marsupials

• Tasmanian Devil
• Spotted-tailed Quoll
• Eastern Quoll
• Northern Quoll
• Antechinus
• Dunnarts
• Kowari

Bandicoots and Bilbies

• Northern Brown Bandicoot
• Long-nosed Bandicoot
• Eastern Barred Bandicoot
• Greater Bilby

Other Unique Marsupials

• Numbat: Western Australia’s faunal emblem. A striped termite-eater that can get through up to 20,000 termites a day.
• Marsupial Moles: Blind desert burrowers that “swim” through sand and are hardly ever seen.

Not every marsupial made it this far. The Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) and the Pig-footed Bandicoot are gone, and many species on this list are threatened by habitat loss, introduced predators and bushfires.

Where to See Marsupials on the Gold Coast

Reading about a joey is one thing. Watching one poke its head out of a pouch is another!

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is 27 hectares of heritage-listed subtropical rainforest, part of the Gold Coast since 1947, and home to plenty of Australian marsupials. Watch the Kangaroos and Wallabies graze and laze in the sun, spot Koalas wedged into the forks of eucalypt trees, and meet the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats.

Want to get closer? Book one of the Animal encounters and learn from the Wildlife Keepers who know these animals best.

The Sanctuary is a not-for-profit, so every dollar you spend here supports wildlife conservation and Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, one of the busiest wildlife hospitals in the world. 💚

FAQs About Marsupials

Are Marsupials Mammals?

Yes! Marsupials are mammals, just like humans, dogs and whales. They have fur, they’re warm-blooded and mums feed their young with milk. The difference is timing: marsupial babies are born at a very early stage and do most of their developing outside the womb, usually in a pouch.

Do All Marsupials Have Pouches?

No. While marsupials are famous for their pouches, a few species don’t have them. The Numbat has no true pouch at all; its tiny young cling to mum’s teats, sheltered by her long belly fur. Some small carnivorous marsupials, like certain Antechinus species, have only shallow folds of skin, and many South American Opossums go without.

Pouches also differ between the species that have them. Kangaroo and Wallaby pouches open towards the head. Wombat and Koala pouches open towards the back legs, which keeps soil out when a Wombat is digging. The Water Opossum of Central and South America goes one better: its pouch seals shut, so the young stay dry while mum swims.

Do Marsupials Lay Eggs?

No. Marsupials give birth to live young, even though those young are tiny and underdeveloped. The egg-laying mammals are a separate group called monotremes, which includes the Platypus and the Echidna.

Australia and New Guinea are the only places on Earth where marsupials, monotremes and placental mammals all live side by side in the wild. Not bad for our corner of the world.

What Is the Biggest Marsupial?

The Red Kangaroo. Males can stand around 1.8m tall and weigh up to 90kg.

What Is a Baby Marsupial Called?

A joey. The name works for almost every marsupial, from Kangaroos and Koalas to Wombats and Possums. Newborns in the early hairless stage are sometimes nicknamed “pinkies”, which is exactly what they look like.

Are Possums Marsupials?

Yes. Australian Possums, like the Brushtail and Ringtail, are marsupials, and so are the Opossums of the Americas. They’re only distant relatives, though. Early European explorers named Australia’s Possums after the American Opossum because they looked a little alike, and the name stuck.

Are Marsupials Nocturnal?

Many are. Possums, Gliders, Bilbies, Tasmanian Devils and Wombats do most of their moving about after dark. Kangaroos and Wallabies are busiest at dawn and dusk, and spend the hot middle of the day resting in the shade. Koalas keep their own hours: they sleep most of the day and do most of their eating at night.

Can You See Marsupials in the Wild on the Gold Coast?

Yes, if you know where and when to look. Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Red-necked and Swamp Wallabies, Koalas and Brushtail Possums all live in bushland and parks around the Gold Coast.

Dawn and dusk are your best bet. That’s also when they’re most likely to be crossing roads, so slow down near bushland at those times. If you find injured wildlife, call a local wildlife rescue group for advice before trying to handle the animal.