Lesson 5 Marsupials Flashcards
What do most female marsupials have that other female animals do not?
They have a pouch in which their young develop.
Where do most marsupials live?
Australia
What was Pangaea?
It is a possible supercontinent in which all of earth’s current continents fit together.
Name some of the animals that are marsupials.
kangaroos, koalas, wombats, possums, opossums, marsupial moles, bandicoots, bilbies, sugar gliders, Tasmanian divels, Moito del Montes
What are marsupial young called?
joeys
What is the difference between a wallaby & a kangaroo?
The only real difference is size – wallabies are smaller.
Do animals that are herbivores always stay herbivores?
No. We have already observed some change their eating habits over time.
Why is it wrong to refer to the cute Australian animals as “koala bears”?
They aren’t bears.
What do koalas do most of the day?
sleep
How is the Tasmanian devil like a hyena?
They are scavengers that consume every part of an animal.
How many species of marsupials live in North America?
only 1 - the Virginia opossum
Explain the defense mechanism of the Virginia opossum.
It “plays dead” hoping most animals will think it has been dead too long to be a healthy meal.
How can some marsupial joeys develop without a pouch?
They live in warm areas and just cling to the mother to develop.
Many scientists put all marsupials into this single order.
Marsupialia
Animals with round, fuzzy ears. They stay up in trees, rarely coming down to the ground.
koalas
All the animals in this order have two front teeth that stick almost straight out from their lower jaw.
diprotodontia
Animals that look like kangaroos but are smaller in size.
wallabies
The word “koala” comes from the language of these native Australians.
Aborigines
Rat-sized macropods that have prehensile tails.
bettongs
A term used to refer to many male animals, including male kangaroos.
bucks
What the koala eats.
eucalyptus leaves
special milk a mother kangaroo makes
pap
Its name means “big foot.” A kangaroo is considered one of these.
macropod
this describes mammals in which the baby develops inside its mother and gets everything it needs from her.
marsupium
kangaroos form these large groups
mobs
little trails of land that once connected the continents together.
land bridges
The Australian name given to the mostly tree-dwelling marsupials of the land.
Possums
A term used to refer to many female animals, including female kangaroos.
Doe
Joeys develop and find protection inside this special pouch.
marsupium
These “rat kangaroos” are becoming endangered in Australia.
potoroos
These animals have the appearance of extremely furry pigs.
wombats
this marsupial looks like a rat & lives alone, building its nest in shallow holes in the ground.
bandicoot
a marsupial that looks like a cross between a rat & a rabbit, having a long nose & long ears. It lives in tunnels & is considered endangered.
bilby
These blind marsupials have fore-claws that look like miniature spades. Their noses are covered with a horny shield that protects them as they push through the dirt.
marsupial moles
A species of possum that eats sugar, glides through the air and can be lured to feeding places.
sugar glider
The place where an animal or human embryo grows until it is born.
womb
This fierce flesh-eater was once common in Australia, but it went extinct in the 1930’s.
Tasmanian Tiger
A wombat-looking creature with jet-black fur. The name of its genus means “flesh lover,” and it produces terrifying screams when defending its food.
Tasmanian Devil
This possum has fur on its tail.
brushtail possum
The only North American marsupial.
Virginia Opossum
What the American version of a possum is called.
opossum
One of the two possums that are considered Australian pests, moving into attics and awakening sleepers with their raucous sounds.
ringtail possum
Its name means “little mountain monkey,” and it lives in the mountains of Chile and Argentina.
Monito Del Monte
