How does a baby kangaroo get into its mother's pouch?
Baby kangaroos spend a great deal of their early development in their mother's pouch instead of the majority of their time in the womb. Since they are so small, however, some people wonder how a joey reaches it's mother's pouch alone.
Size
A baby kangaroo weighs less than 2 grams and measures about 2 1/2 centimeters long, according to ZooBorns.com
Gestation
Kangaroos have a 33 day gestation period. They are born at a very early time in development.
Journey
With its own strength, a newborn joey crawls from the mother's birth canal to her pouch, according to ZooBorns.com. Blindness makes this a difficult feat.
Assistance
A joey's small size makes it difficult for the mother to give it any help crawling to the pouch. Instead of touching her joey, she licks a path from her birth canal to her pouch for him to follow.
Motivation
A baby kangaroo must crawl to his mother's pouch so he can attach himself to her nipple and drink her milk. He stays in her pouch drinking milk for over 70 days.
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