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About Marsupials : a Guide for Children / Cathryn Sill ; Illustrated by John Sill

Ab outMarsupials

t t Abou A Guide for Children for Guide A Illustrated by John Sill John by Illustrated Cathryn Sill Cathryn

599.2--dc22 2006 QL737.M3S55 1.. Marsupials--Juvenile literature. I. Sill, John, ill. II. Title.II. ill. John, Sill, I. literature. Marsupials--Juvenile 1.. Sill, Cathryn P.,Cathryn Sill, 1953- Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cataloging-in-Publication Congress of Library paperback) (trade 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (hardcover) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Singapore in Printed Systems Adobe from Novarese in set Texttitles and paper watercolor rag 100% quality archival on watercolor in created Illustrations publisher.the of permission prior the without reviews, printed in quotations brief for other—except any photocopy,or recording, mechanical, means—electronic, any by or form any in transmitted or system, retrieval a in stored reproduced, be may publication this of part No reserved. rights All Sill C. John by 2006 © Illustrations P.Cathryn by Text2006 © Sill www.peachtree-online.com 30318-2112 Georgia Atlanta, AvenueChattahoochee 1700 PUBLISHERS PEACHTREE by Published ISBN 13: 978-1-56145-407-5 / ISBN 10: 1-56145-407-9 (trade paperback) (trade 1-56145-407-9 10: ISBN / 978-1-56145-407-5 13: ISBN (hardcover) 1-56145-358-7 10: ISBN / 978-1-56145-358-0 13: ISBN About marsupials : a guide for children / Cathryn Sill ; illustrated by John Sill. John by illustrated ; Sill Cathryn / children for guide : a marsupials About p. cm p. 2005020582 For the One who created marsupials. created who One the For —Genesis 1:25 —Genesis

Ab outMarsupials

born tiny and helpless. and tiny born are babies whose are Marsupials Gray Gray PLATE1

they drink milk and grow.and milk drink they as safe babies the keep to bellies their on pouch a have marsupials mother Most Red-necked WallabyRed-necked PLATE2

toward the mother’slegs. the back toward opens marsupials some of pouch The Common WombatCommon PLATE3

Some marsupials do not have a pouch. a have not do marsupials Some Brown Brown PLATE4

Marsupials move by jumping, climbing, gliding, or running.

PLATE 5 Yellow-footed Rock Wooly Opossum

Sugar Glider Eastern

They may live in trees... in live may They Grizzled TreeKangaroo Grizzled PLATE6

on the ground... the on Greater Bilby Greater PLATE7

or underground. or Mole Marsupial PLATE8

the time. the of part water in lives marsupial of kind One WaterOpossum PLATE9 or Yapok

and eat at night. at eat and hunt nocturnal—they are marsupials Many Spotted Spotted PLATE10

Others look for food during the day.the during food for look Others PLATE11

Some marsupials eat meat. eat marsupials Some TasmanianDevil PLATE12

Some eat plants. eat Some PLATE13

PLATE 14 PLATE Opossum Virginia A few eat both meat and plants.

Marsupials may be as big as a man… a as big as be may Marsupials Red PLATE15

or as small as a mouse. a as small as or Fat-tailed Fat-tailed PLATE16

It is important to protect marsupials and the places where they live.

PLATE 17

Thylacine (probably extinct)

** Sizes vary. All measurements in the Afterword are approximate, and are for adult . adult for are and approximate, are Afterword the in vary.measurements Sizes All ** Afterword. the in stated otherwise unless from are illustrated marsupials The * to keep the baby inside it. inside baby the keep to she digs. Mother are able to squeeze the muscles in their pouch their in muscles the squeeze to able are wombats Mother digs. she when baby her from away dirt the mother’skeeps The rear-facingpouch in burrows or holes that may be connected by tunnels up to 100 feet long. feet 100 to up tunnels by connected be may that holes or burrows in Common Wombats (35 to 45 inches long**) are digging animals. They live They animals. digging are long**) inches 45 to (35 Wombats Common PLATE3 around 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall. feet 1/2 3 to 3 around stand Adults old. months 17 to 12 are they until nurse to continue will but of itself. Red-necked Wallaby babies spend about 8 months in the pouch, the in months 8 about spend babies Wallaby Red-necked itself. of care take to able is it until safety and warmth, nourishment, for pouch the to returns baby The time. of periods short for pouch the leave to enough developed has it until mouth its in nipple the keeps It milk. her drinks and nipple a to itself attaches it where abdomen, her on pouch the reaches it mother’suntil its fur through crawls marsupial baby a born, is it After PLATE2 uptofeet6 tall asadults. Baby are called joeys. Kangaroosare about the size ofbeea when they are born, but they can grow andsurrounding areas. Around 70species live inthe Americas. Gray Thereare about 270 ofmarsupials. Most ofthem live inAustralia* PLATE1 Afterword

becausethey reminded the settlers ofhouse . andground-nesting . Eastern were also called “native cats” butthey can run fast enough tocatch small animals such asrabbits, mice, EasternQuolls (24 to31inches long, including the tail) eat mostly insects, treesap, nectar, and fruit. tree.They are called “Sugar” Gliders because they eat sweet foods such as fromone tree, spread the flaps ofskin ontheir sides, and glide tothe next totree. Their tails help with balance and steering. These marsupials jump SugarGliders (5toinches7 long, not including tail) seem to“fly” from tree helpthem climb. Americanmarsupials, can wrap their prehensile tails around branches to WoolyOpossums (12 inches long, not including tail), one ofthe South jumpacross gullies upto13 feet wide. themfrom slipping asthey leap from rock torock. Rock are able to mountainsand rocky places. They have rough pads ontheir feet that keep Yellow-footedRock Wallabies (20 to30inches long, not including tail) live in PLATE5 while she hunts for food. for hunts she while it in them leaves and nest a builds she Then around. carry to her for heavy too get they mother’suntil the nipples to on hang babies The all. at pouch a have not do tail), including not long, inches 1/2 4 to 3/4 (3 Antechinus Brown the as such Others, babies. the protect to belly their on skin of flap loose a have Some pouch. developed fully a have marsupials all Not PLATE4

grows in a reverse direction so that it will shed water like a raincoat. a like water shed will it that so direction reverse a in grows TreeKangaroo Grizzled the of shoulders the on fur The fruit. and leaves mostly eat marsupials These tree. to tree from leap to able are They climb. them help to claws long and arms strong have Treekangaroos Guinea. New in forests rain the in live tall) feet 3 to 1/2 (2 TreeKangaroos Grizzled PLATE6 cause people to be more concerned with protecting native species. native protecting with concerned more be to people cause hope that this kind of attention for one of their endangered marsupials will marsupials endangered their of one for attention of kind this that hope Bunny.Easter They the of instead Bilby” “Easter the with Easter ebrate cel- Australians Some habitat. their destroying and food for Bilbies Greater the rapidly,with multiplied competing rabbits The settlers. European by Australia to introduced were that rabbits of because partly rare very are marsupials These sleeping. for burrows dig they where woodlands, scrub dry and grasslands, deserts, in live long) inches 24 to (12 Bilbies Greater PLATE7 blind. are Moles Marsupial underground, live that animals other many Like them. dig for worms and insects to eat, the tunnels they make cave in behind in cave make they tunnels the eat, to insects and worms for dig plate on their noses to push their way through loose, sandy soil. As they As soil. sandy loose, through way their push to noses their on plate hard the and claws strong their use They ground. the under digging time Marsupial Moles (3 to 8 inches long), like true moles, spend most of their of most spend moles, true like long), inches 8 to (3 Moles Marsupial PLATE8

northeastern Australia. northeastern of part small a as well as areas surrounding and Guinea New in found are fur.marsupials plain These have usually females The spotted. are tail) the including not long, inches 26 to (13 Spotted male Only sit. and climb they as on hold them help also tails prehensile strong, Their paws. hand-shaped their with well climb that animals slow-moving are Cuscuses much. so sitting by rumps their off fur the wear day.often the They during trees in sitting sleep Cuscuses night, all forest tropical the in hunting After PLATE10 Central and . South and Central in Yapokslive waterproof. it makes and muscle of ring strong a with pouch her shuts water,mother the the in hunts she while drowning from babies Toher well. keep swim them help that feet hind webbed and fur repellent water-water.have in They time the of part spend that marsupials only the are tail) the including not long, inches Yapoks(12 or Opossums Water PLATE9 day. Numbatsinches(16long,20,000including totermites up tail)eatthecan a sharpclaws.theirinsects.Theyuselongstickythe tonguesup lap to rottentermitesanthillsoflogsoroutantsthattheydig andwithstrong daytime.theduringfoodinnightlookfor Theirtheand favorite foodsare Numbatsdiurnal.are Theyfindshelter fallenopenwoodlandsinlogsin PLATE11

homes and food sources are being destroyed. being are sources food and homes their because trouble in are animals These not. are live they where forests the but protected, are Australia. of languages Aboriginal native the in drink” “no mean to thought is “koala” necessary.word if The drink also will they but leaves, from need they water the of most get Koalas trees. (gum) eucalyptus from leaves the eat long) feet 3 to (2 Koalas PLATE13 marsupials that live in . North in live that marsupials pretending to be dead—“playing possum.” Virginia Opossums are the only the are Opossums Virginia possum.” dead—“playing be to pretending are not in danger of extinction. They sometimes protect themselves by themselves protect sometimes They extinction. of danger in not are and habitats different many in live to able are they anything, almost eat Because Virginia Opossums (15 to 20 inches long, not including tail) will tail) including not long, inches 20 to (15 Opossums Virginia Because PLATE14 name from their fierce appearance and their bloodcurdling screams. bloodcurdling their and appearance fierce their from name their Tasmanianget fill. Devils their eat to try they as other each at scream and snarl, jostle, They carcasses. large on together feed often will them of group a alone, live mostly Devils though Even meat. tear to them enable teeth sharp and jaws prey.powerful live Their take will but scavengers, mostly are tail) the including not long, inches 30 to Tasmanian(20 Devils PLATE12

shrink as the fat is used up. used is fat the as shrink tails Their fat. stored this off live to able are they find, to hard is food when times During fat. with swell tails their until eat Fat-tailed food, of plenty is there When . and insects eat They ounce. 1 about weigh and tails, their including not long, inches 1/2 3 to 3 are Dunnarts Fat-tailed PLATE16 died in captivity September 7, 1936. 7, September captivity in died Thylacine last the since confirmed been have none sightings, Thylacine of reports been have there Although 1986. in extinct declared officially was marsupial This Thylacines. of decline the caused destruction habitat and , introduced from competition Hunting, Australia. of most over ranged shoulder.once the Thylacines at tall feet 2 and tail the including long feet 6 to up be could Thylacine grown fully A . nor wolves neither TasmanianTasmanianor called Tigers,Wolveswere sometimes Thylacines, lists. vulnerable or threatened, endangered, on now are marsupials Many PLATE17 “mob.” “mob.” a called is kangaroos of group A feet. 30 jump can they hurry a in when but feet, 6 about hop normally Kangaroos Red pounds. 200 to up weigh and tall feet 6 over be can Adults marsupials. largest the are Kangaroos Red PLATE15

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New York: New Franklin York: Watts, 1991. New York: New Crabtree York: 2000. Publishing Company, New York: Kingfisher, 2000. New Kingfisher, York: New York: New Gloucester York: Press, 1988. Washington: Washington: National 1985. Geographic Society, GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHY sandiegozoo.net/animalbytes wombania.com/wombats 42explore.com/marsupial.htm New York: New Franklin York: Watts, 2002. What is a Marsupial? National Geographic Kids Video. Washington: National Geographic Amazing Animals of Australia. Meat-eating Marsupials. Picture Library: Kangaroos and Other Marsupials, First Sight: Kangaroos and Other Marsupials, The Kingfisher Illustrated Encyclopedia. americazoo.com animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu australian-animals.net nationalgeographic.com/kids EBSITES OOKS IDEOS —active —active Diurnal during the day —no Extinct longer existing in living form —an animal that nourishes its young with milk secreted by mammary glands; most mammals have hair or fur on their skin Nocturnal—active during the night Predator—an animal that lives by hunting and feeding upon other animals Prehensile—adapted for grasping Prey—animals that are hunted and eaten by other animals Scavenger—an animal that feeds on dead animals or decaying plants Species—a group of closely related animals or plants B Bender, Lionel. Bender, Really Wild Animals: Down Wonders Under. Barrett, Norman. Kalman, Bobbie, and Heather Levigne. Swan, Erin Pembrey. Swan, Erin Pembrey. W Society, 1994. Society, Burnie, David. Books for World Explorers. V

ABOUT HABITATSSERIES

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HE ILLS

T S

Cathryn Sill, a former elementary school teacher, is the author of the acclaimed ABOUT… and the ABOUT HABITATS series. With her husband John and brother-in-law Ben Sill, she coauthored three popular -guide paro- dies, including the new edition of A FIELD GUIDE TO LITTLE-KNOWN AND SELDOM- SEEN BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA.

John Sill is a prize-winning and widely published artist who illus- trates both the ABOUT… and the ABOUT HABITATS series. He also illustrated and coauthored the field guide parodies. A native of North Carolina, he holds a B.S. in wildlife biology from North Carolina State University.

The Sills live in North Carolina.

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