Marsupials generally don’t live in areas that get snow, except for the mountain pygmy-possum, which lives in the Australian Alps. Most Australian marsupials live in dry scrub or desert habitat, as that is mostly what covers that continent; in South America, marsupials generally live in forests or tropical rain forests. Marsupials can live in any part of the forest habitat, from the trees to the forest floor where, like the wombat, they burrow underground.

The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial found in North America, and its native habitat is moist forests, although it may also be found in your neighborhood. It is an important part of our environment, acting as a scavenger to clean up trash, fruit, and dead animals. If you spot one in your neighborhood at night, watch how it uses its dexterous tail and paws to get around, but for your own safety, don’t get too close: opossums can be fierce fighters!

If it’s springtime, pay special attention—if the opossum happens to be a mother, you’ll see up to 13 babies hanging on to her back!

So, what’s for dinner? Marsupials have different types of teeth, depending on what they eat, from bugs to other smaller mammals or birds to fruit and seeds to eucalyptus leaves. Bandicoots, Australian possums, and American opossums are omnivores. Wombats, kangaroos, and koalas are the herbivores. The rest are either insectivores or carnivores. Marsupials usually have more incisor teeth than other mammals do.

Most marsupials are solitary during the year, except when it is breeding season. Generally, males and females breed with different partners and then go their separate ways. Females raise their joeys on their own. Most females develop or have some type of pouch for their young. But don’t be fooled—not all marsupial pouches are as deep as a kangaroo’s pouch.

Unlike the koala or kangaroo, most marsupial mothers give birth to several joeys at one time. Because of this, the pouch is shallow; when the joeys are old enough, they can climb onto Mom’s back instead of creating a lot of weight for her to carry around in her pouch. When the joeys are born, they are much more helpless and undeveloped at birth than placental mammal babies, and this is the reason for having the pouch—it protects the young, keeps them warm, and is the location where the joeys can get milk.

Once the joeys have attached to a nipple to nurse, they grow and develop there for weeks to months, depending on the species. Once the joeys are large enough, they leave the pouch and hang on to their mother’s fur instead. Mom and offspring can stay together for up to a year in some species! Generally, when the youngsters are weaned and out of the pouch permanently, they leave their mother soon after.

Marsupials are pollinators and seed distributors. They control pests by eating insects and vermin. Some marsupials make habitats for other underground animals by digging their burrows as well as loosening up the soil. The Virginia opossum helps to clean up the environment by eating carrion, rotting fruit, and other items we consider garbage. In fact, this animal is often found rummaging around in garbage cans!