You may have heard of marsupials. These are living beings that seem very distant to us, but they exist in many places, probably in places very close to the place where you live, and even in your own country. There are many types of marsupials so don't miss this post so you can get to know them better.
Types of Marsupials
Marsupials are animals of the mammalian type that, unlike mammals that reproduce through fetuses that grow in an internal placenta in the body of their mothers, their young develop inside what is known as a marsupium, which It is a kind of external bag in which the fetuses manage to finish their growth.
It is in the inner part of the marsupium where the mammary glands are found, from which the fetuses feed until they are fully formed. The country with the largest number of marsupial species is Australia, which has around 200 species, including the territories of Tasmania and New Zealand. But it turns out that there are approximately 70 species of marsupials that have their habitat in South America and North America.
What we want with this article is that you learn more about the species of marsupials that exist and the places where they live on our planet, so we invite you to continue reading.
Australian marsupials
Undoubtedly, the Australian continent is where the largest number of types of marsupials live, as we mentioned before, around 200. It is on that continent that the smallest of all of them lives, with which we are going to start this list.
long-tailed glider
The Planigali ingrami, among the types of marsupials, is The Planigali ingrami, among the types of marsupials, is the one that only reaches a length of 5,5 centimeters, which is half the size of a mouse, and has a weight of about 4,3 grams, which only reaches a length of 5,5 centimeters, which is half the size of a mouse, and weighs about 4,3 grams.
Red kangaroo
The red kangaroo, Macropus rufus, on the other hand, is the largest of the types of marsupials that exist today, and can weigh up to 90 kilos, with a length of 1,50 meters.
Among the particularities of this amazing animal is that they are capable of making jumps of up to 10 meters long and 3 meters high, for which they propel themselves with both legs at the same time, with the help of a very muscular tail.
Another characteristic is that they have an average speed of movement that reaches 25 kilometers per hour, but if they really want to run, they can travel up to a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. But the normal thing is that they can maintain a speed of about 50 kilometers per hour in a journey of two kilometers.
giant kangaroo
The one that continues on our list of types of marsupials is the giant kangaroo or eastern gray kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, which can weigh around 66 kilos, and measure almost two meters tall. But only the largest and smallest marsupials are limited to these last two, because all other species tend to have an intermediate size.
swamp wallaby
It is an animal that is similar to kangaroos, but it is really a different genre. The bicolor Wallabia is a very common small marsupial and so far it is not under any threat.
common wombat
Its other name is the rough-haired wombat or Vombatus ursinus and among the types of marsupials, an animal that can weigh between 3 and 7 kilograms, with a very cute countenance. In ancient times some human beings kept them as pets, but that activity is prohibited today.
As we already mentioned, there are currently approximately 200 species of marsupials in Australia, so we have only wanted to show you the most representative of them, since it would be very difficult and long to make a detailed list of all of them and we have limited ourselves to the best known.
Argentine marsupials
According to the Guide to Argentine Marsupials, this great territory has some 24 species of types of marsupials that are distributed starting from northern Argentina, until reaching the areas of Patagonia. The most representative of the southern marsupials is:
sheep weasel
The Sheep Weasel or Moorish Weasel, Didelphis albiventris, is actually an opossum endemic to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. Although it is called a weasel, it is not a mustelid, because it is actually a marsupial.
They have a very short life expectancy, because gestation barely lasts two weeks, reaching sexual maturity at 10 months of age and when they are 2 years old they suffer from menopause, dying shortly after that phase of their life. They are capable of reproducing 3 times a year and if they are well cared for in captivity, they can survive up to 4 years of age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziq6mdkZcqU
Its length can reach up to 70 centimeters, leaving out the tail, with a weight of about 2 kilos. Females are smaller in size. It is an omnivorous species that obtains its food from eggs, strawberries, apples, bananas, berries, reptiles, frogs, rodents, insects and can even feed on garbage in places inhabited by human beings.
Among its usual predators we find the harpy eagle, the piranha, the Pampas fox, the alligator and the puma. It is considered a surviving fossil and fortunately it is not a species that is threatened.
A particularity of this marsupial is that the females have 3 vaginas. The middle one is where tiny fetuses are born, and where the digestive and urinary tracts end. The two vaginas on the sides have the function of fertilization and lead to two places of the uterus. Males have a forked penis.
It may seem unusual to you, but marsupials cannot spread rabies, due to their low body temperature of about 32º, which makes it impossible for this disease to progress. They also have a large number of lymphocytes, which greatly increases the defenses of their immune system.
Mexican marsupials
Also in Mexico there are several types of marsupials, among which the most relevant are:
four-eyed opossum
The four-eyed opossum, Philander opossum, is a species of opossum that has its habitat in southern Mexico, although it is also found in Central and South America, even as far as northern Argentina. It is an omnivorous animal because its food is made up of fruits, reptiles and rodents.
Its particularity is that it is an arboreal and terrestrial species that has nocturnal habits. There are different species of opossum with different sizes and the name opossum is the common designation used in Mexico to name opossums.
water opossum
The water opossum, Chironectes minimus, is the only known aquatic marsupial. Its habitat is found in the lakes and streams of Mexico, but it has been able to range from those sites to northeastern Argentina. It is also an omnivorous species because its food is crustaceans, amphibians and fish.
It can reach about 35 centimeters and to this we must add about 40 centimeters of the tail. Another name with which it is designated locally is chucha de agua.
Tasmanian marsupials
Tasmania is another place where we can find very special marsupials, with very particular names, the most representative being:
Tasmanian Devil
We refer to the best known marsupial of Tasmania. The Tasmanian devil, Sarcophilus harrisii, is a marsupial endemic to the island of Tasmania. Their life expectancy does not exceed 5 years under natural conditions. Today it is the largest carnivorous marsupial on the planet.
It is an animal that has a very rough, voluminous and particular countenance. It is black with white spots, although totally black specimens have been found. They reach about 65 centimeters in length, having to add about 25 centimeters to their tail. Its weight can reach 8 kilos. Females are usually smaller in size.
They usually feed on wombats, which are other marsupials whose weight can reach 30 kilos. The possibility that they can feed on an animal that far exceeds them in size speaks volumes about the great strength and downright aggressive nature of the Tasmanian devil.
Another tool that helps us in this task is the unexpected force of its bite, which manages to surpass that of a tiger or a jaguar. However, it also usually feeds normally on carrion. This animal species has been threatened since the mid-90s by an epidemic of facial carcinoma that is contagious in these animals, so its population has decreased considerably. In fact, it is considered a species at serious risk of extinction. Plans and studies are currently being developed to recover it.
Colombian marsupials
In the Colombian territory live 29 species of marsupials. The best known are the so-called chuchas, which are various species of opossum, but there are two different endemic varieties of marsupials that are only found in that country. One of them is a very small marsupial, but we better explain it to you:
Colombian Tunato
The Colombian tunato, Caenolestes fuliginosus, is a very small marsupial that is endemic to the south of Valdivia, in the province of Antioquia. Its food is fruits and insects, so it is omnivorous. It is a nocturnal animal and unfortunately it is in critical danger of extinction.
colombian chuchita
The Colombian chuchita, Gracilinanus perijae, also known as the Colombian mouse opossum, is a tiny marsupial that has its habitat in the forests of the Colombian tropical and subtropical lowlands.
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