Most marsupials are found in Australia and New Guinea and include the kangaroos , wallabies , marsupial moles , dasyures , bandicoots , and phalangers . The only American marsupials are the opossums .
Marsupials have relatively small brains and they lack a placenta.
Young marsupials, which are born in a very immature state, complete their development in a pouch of skin on the mother's belly surrounding the teat, from which they are fed until fully formed. In general, the pouch of herbivorous marsupials opens forwards and that of carnivorous ones opens to the rear. The Macmillan Encyclopedia 2001 2. dasyure The Macmillan Encyclopedia 2001 3. The Macmillan Encyclopedia 2001 4. All rights reserved.