Kingbilli Wildlife Rescue: Marsupial Nursery (Wildlife Sanctuary, Wildlife Care, Wildlife Rehabilitation)

Kingbilli Wildlife Rescue specializes in Marsupials. The majority of cases are Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Bare-Nosed Wombats, Swamp Wallabies, Koalas and Brushtail and Ringtail Possums. Sometimes, however, something a little more unusual comes along, such as Feathertail Gliders, Greater

Gliders, Sugar Gliders, Long Nosed Bandicoots and Antechinuses.

No matter the species, Marsupials are fascinating animals ... the vast majority of them being unique to Australia. Surprisingly, however, few Australians know much about them ... and at Kingbilli, this is something we aim to change.

Mammals first evolved on Earth 220 million years ago, and today, three completely different "subclasses" (types) of mammal exist - Placentals, Marsupials and Monotremes.

Most folk are more familiar with placental mammals, which give birth to well-developed, live young whom they suckle.

Well known placental mammals include humans, dogs, cats, horses, sheep, cattle, dolphins, whales, lions, elephants, rats, rabbits … you name it, and it's probably a placental!

Placentals mammals have conquered the world, and diversified into an astounding array of species.

However most Australian native mammals are Marsupials. The term 'Marsupial' comes from the Latin word 'marsupium', which means 'pouch'. A female Marsupial gives birth to a truly minute baby called a 'joey'.

This little individual is furless, with moist, semi-transparent skin, and weighs less than 1 gram. (The largest Marsupial newborn on the face of the earth is the Red Kangaroo, coming into the world at just 0.9g).

At this stage, only the joey's mouth, front limbs, shoulders and chest muscles are developed … whilst its eyes, ears and many organs remain undifferentiated.

In fact, for the first few days of its life the joey has the remarkable ability to absorb oxygen directly through its skin until its heart and lungs are ready for normal breathing.

Yet, despite its embryonic state, within moments of birth, this tiny organism makes the seemingly epic journey up to ... and inside ... its mother's specially designed pouch - rather like a permanently attached, centrally-heated handbag. There, it latches firmly onto a teat and concentrates all its efforts on growth!

It may be many months before this little baby opens its eyes, grows fur, and develops the ability to thermoregulate (maintain its own body temperature).

As a result, when Marsupial joeys are orphaned at a young age, it takes great care and skill to hand-raise them successfully.

Marsupials evolved as a distinct subclass of mammal around 120 million years ago, in North America. At this time, the world's landmasses were joined to form only two super-continents … Laurasia and Gondwana.

These two joeys are 3 and 4 months old respectively

Laurasia comprised North America, Europe and Asia … whilst Gondwana consisted of South America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Antarctica and Australia. These two super-continents were linked by a chain of islands near the equator.

Between 65-120 million years ago, Marsupials used this island-chain to travel into the South American part of Gondwana. 65 million years ago, an asteroid crashed into the islands, severing the connection between Laurasia and Gondwana, permanently separating the two groups of Marsupials from one another.

Over time, the Marsupials left behind in North America became extinct, whilst their cousins in South America flourished. They travelled across Antarctica and found Australia.

Australia turned out to be the perfect place for Marsupials. With their weird and wonderful mode of reproduction, they were able to adapt swiftly to Australia's unpredictable conditions, capitalizing on the good times or economizing energy expenditure in times of hardship.

Modern marsupials are extremely efficient mammals, having evolved a whole range of characteristics to cope in the harsh Australian environment.

They have slow metabolisms, allowing them to survive on poor diets; and unique gut recycling mechanisms to squeeze every ounce of nutrition out of each and every meal; and to maximise water absorption (to survive in arid areas and through drought).

Australia has become the centre of Marsupial diversification, supporting over 150 species of almost every size, shape and habit imaginable. South America is still home to 76 species of Marsupial … but these are all varieties of possum, which hardly compares with the great diversity of Marsupials found in Australia - from mouse-like carnivores to bounding Kangaroos, growling Devils to lazy Koalas, burrowing Wombats and Moles, Bilbies, Quolls and everything in between.

Georgina Beach

All photographs copyright Georgina Beach.