Question

The marsupial mammal amongst the following animals is
A) Gibbon
B) Kangaroo
C) Lemur
D) Spiny Anteater

Answer 1

Hint:Marsupium is defined as a pouch that is used to protect the newborn the mammals. This pouch also helps mammals to protect their offspring. They carry their young one from one place to another by taking them in marsupium.

Complete answer:
Metatherians are defined as the class of mammals which are also called marsupials. Most of the marsupials or the pouched mammals are present mainly in the region of Central and South America and in Australia. They are termed as marsupials due to the presence of a marsupium or pouch on their bodies. This group includes many animals like kangaroos, wombat, macropods, etc.

Now let us find solution from given options:
A) Gibbon : They belong to Mammalia but they do not have pouch. These are monkey-like.
B) Kangaroo : it belongs to class metatheria. They give rise to undeveloped and immature offspring called joey. They carry them in a pouch called marsupium and nourish them.
C) Lemur : they belong to primates of Mammalia. They give rise to young ones but do not have pouch.
D) Spiny Anteater : they belong to the monotreme of Mammalia and are egg laying in nature. The egg laying mammals do not have pouches.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘B’ i.e, kangaroo.

Note:Mammals can be classified into 3 subclasses, namely Prototheria, Metatheria and Eutheria. In Eutheria, mammals directly produce well-matured young ones directly without any lag, whereas in the case of Metatheria, mammals produce immature young ones and the maturation process of these young ones occurs in the pouches of their mothers, i.e., they stay in their mother pouch until they get matured enough.