Australia

This exhibit features species from Australia, the continent often referred to as "down under". Here you will see a breeding herd of the unusual red kangaroo. Look closely in the females' pouch area and you may see the bulge or movement of a young joey still at home in the marsupium.

Marsupials are mammals that give birth after a very short gestation (development inside the womb). Babies are born in a very undeveloped state and complete their growth cycle outside the womb but inside the mother's pouch. Most native mammals of the Australia and New Zealand region are exclusively marsupials, while in other regions of the earth they have been replaced by placental mammals like humans.
 

Tiny joey's like the one pictured here (estimated at 2 weeks old) must find their way through the fur on their mothers belly, crawl into her pouch, and locate a nipple if they are to survive.

Also in Down Under, you will see the large, flightless emu. Standing five feet tall, these birds are too large and heavy to get off the ground, so they rely on speed and a kicking defense to foil predators.