marsupium

Kangaroo's baby holder

A marsupium is the pouch on the belly of a marsupial mammal, such as a kangaroo or opossum, in which the female carries and nurses her young.

The term is also used in biology for similar pouch-like structures in other animals, such as the brood pouches of certain crustaceans and fish.

The more familiar word for this structure is simply pouch.

taxa

kangaroo

Pouched Australian leaper

wallabySmall Australian marsupial
possumPouch-bearing mammal
wombatBurrowing Australian marsupial

bandicoot · quokka · koala · sugar glider · numbat · bilby · opossum · macropod · thylacine

anatomy

pouch

Small flexible bag

ventralOf the belly
abdomenTorso's lower cavity
teatsMilk-dispensing projections

mammary · pelage · fur · perineum · musculature · epithelium · sphincter · opening · cavity · lining

nurture

maternal

Of or like mothers

protectionGuarding against harm
warmthHeat you feel
thermoregulationMaintaining stable internal heat

bonding · nursing · care · nourishment · security · shelter · rearing · incubation · brooding

development

embryonic

At earliest developmental stage

gestationCarrying offspring in womb
lactationMammary gland secretion
weaningGradual dietary independence

attachment · suckling · maturation · growth · crawling · emergence · dependency · underdeveloped · premature · neonatal

function

carrying

Holding and moving

transportMoving things between places
containHold within limits
encloseShut in on all sides

convey · hold · cradle · support · housing · storage · locomotion · hopping

Opposites

reproductive anatomy/developmental location

marsupiumwomb

Fetal development organ

uterus · placenta · in utero · amniotic sac

Family

marsupial, marsupials

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