australia and marsupials

Australia

The first inhabitants of Australia were Aboriginals. During the 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of

convicts were transported to Australia in exile.

• On May 13, 1787, the First Fleet of 11 ships and about 1530 people (736 convicts and families)

• Australia is a part of the British Commonwealth:

Marsupials

Marsupials

• mammals that give birth to their young prematurely and then carry the young, in their pouch, kind of like an protective incubator and nursing station, until the young have fully matured.

• Gestation period of 4-5 weeks

• Kangaroos, Koalas, wombats, possums, sugar gliders, squirrel gliders

MammalsAir-breathing, vertebrates with hair and mammary glands (feed their young); give birth to live young

Placentals• Carry young until fully

developed• Have a placenta-The

placenta provides the baby with a supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients; it also carries waste including carbon dioxide away from the baby.

• Ex: Horse, cat, dog, human

Marsupials• Give birth to under-

developed young• Have a placenta, but

the baby (joey) fully develops in the pouch

• Ex: Koala, kangaroo, wombat, possum, wallaby

Mammal Gestation (Gestation- carrying of an embryo/fetus in female)

Placental Gestation • Horses- 48 weeks (11

months• Humans- 40 weeks (9

months)• Lions- 15 weeks• Dogs- 9 weeks• Cats- 8.5 weeks

Marsupial Gestation• Koala- 5 weeks(3 weeks shorter than cats, so

development continues- 6 months in pouch)

• Kangaroo- 4.5 weeks(AND 7.5 months in pouch)

• Wombat- 2.5 weeks(AND 6-7 months in pouch)

Gestation Periods

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Animals

Le

ng

th (

wk

s)

Koalas (not Koala bears)

• Koalas sleep around 18 hours a day.  • Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves • The joey is hairless, earless and blind.  • At birth, the joey climbs into the pouch,

latches on to a teat.  (only 1 joey at a time)• The young koala will feed on milk and stay in

the pouch for around 6 months.  • Then for the next 6 months, the joey will start

to venture out of the pouch, riding on the mother’s back

Kangaroo Joeys

• Kangaroos can have up to 3 joeys at a time• When the egg is fertilized, it develops into a

neonate (about the size of a jelly bean)• After only 33 days, it emerges, hairless,

blind and earless, (like a Koala) with only stumps as hind legs. 

• The neonate uses its forearms to climb across the abdomen of its mother to reach the pouch and attach to one of the four teats to feed.

• Can you believe the neonate instinctively knows to crawl to the pouch, at such a small size?  I’m surprised he doesn’t get lost in the fur or fall off.

Kangaroo Joeys

• This is a Kangaroo Neonate (tiny joey on a mother’s teat)

Did You Know?Australians drive on the left side of the road.Their money looks like Monopoly money (all

different colors)They say things like “g’day” and “how ya’

goin’ “no worries”They have different constellations from usThe toilets flush the opposite wayThey are 15 hours ahead of usIt takes 19 hours on a plane to get there

from Austin90% of the population lives along the

Eastern coast (primarily in Sydney and Melbourne)

There used to be a ranch the size of TexasHugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Heath

Ledger,Chris and Liam Hemsworth, and Cate Blanchet are all Australians

The stars on the flag are the Northern Cross (the constellation above Australia)

Marsupial Quiz• What is a baby marsupial called?• How big is a neonate?• Do marsupials have placentas?• How long is the gestation period of a marsupial?• How long is the gestation period of a human?• Which marsupial is your favorite?• How many joeys could a kangaroo have? (the most at

one time)• Is Australia in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere?• Name 3 different marsupials.• Is a marsupial a mammal?• Australia is a part of the British _________.• How big is Australia?• Who lived in Australia first?