Question

Pouched mammals attained diversity in
a) New Zealand
b) South Africa
c)Australia
d)South America

Answer 1

Hint: The pouched animals are those animals which have pouches present on their body to keep their young ones till they are fully grown. Such pouches are found in the females. When they give birth to their child it’s not matured fully so they keep them in their pouch till they are fully developed and can walk by themselves.

Complete answer:
The pouched animals are also known as the marsupials and are present underclass Mammalia. These animals are endemic to Australia. They are named as pouched animals due to the presence of a pouch in them which is used to carry their young ones in them. The well-known marsupials are kangaroos, koalas, opossums, wombats, etc. The animals present in the marsupials are known to give birth to premature babies which are underdeveloped and are very young and fragile. These babies are carried by their mothers in their pouch for a particular period of time. The marsupials are believed to be a part of the metatherian which are considered to be their ancestors. But no fossil evidence is present to prove so. They are similar to mammals but also are different from the eutherians. They are known to have mammary glands and the presence of true hair on their body.

So, the answer is ‘Australia’.

Note: The marsupials are also known as the pouched animals which are present mostly in Australia and are also present in less amount in South America. The marsupials have a distinct feature of having a pouch on their body in which they keep their young ones till the time they develop fully.