• Question: are marsupials mammals? idk i think they're just a bit too weird to be mammals

    Asked by EnyaB on 25 Nov 2020.
    • Photo: Duncan Wallace

      Duncan Wallace answered on 25 Nov 2020: last edited 25 Nov 2020 12:20 pm


      Mammals are animals that usually give birth to live young (as opposed to laying eggs like birds). They are defined as animals who feed their young with milk. Marsupials tend to give birth very early and often protect their young in pouch like body parts. They are a bit weird, but by far the weirdest animal in the world, in my opinion, is the duck-billed platypus which is a mammal that actually lays eggs.

    • Photo: Liudmila Khokhlova

      Liudmila Khokhlova answered on 25 Nov 2020:


      There’re a few features that typical for mammals: mammary glands, a neocortex (a region of the brain), middle ear bones, and usually fur or hair. And marsupials have them all, even if their brain and sometimes mammary glands, in general, are somewhat simpler than those of placental mammals. They’re weird though, they were separated for a long time and evolution is sometimes gives interesting results:) I also agree with Duncan, platypuses are super weird!!! They don’t even have proper mammary glands, they just sort of sweat with milk!

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