marsupial

American  

[mahr-soo-pee-uhl] / mɑrˈsu pi əl /

noun

marsupials plural

1. any viviparous, nonplacental mammal of the order Marsupialia, comprising the opossums, kangaroos, wombats, and bandicoots, the females of most species having a marsupium containing the mammary glands and serving as a receptacle for the young.

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adjective

1. pertaining to, resembling, or having a marsupium.

2. of or relating to the marsupials.

marsupial British  

/ mɑːˈsjuːpɪəl, -ˈsuː-, -ˌsuː-, mɑːˌsjuːpɪˈeɪlɪən /

noun

1. any mammal of the order Marsupialia, in which the young are born in an immature state and continue development in the marsupium. The order occurs mainly in Australia and South and Central America and includes the opossums, bandicoots, koala, wombats, and kangaroos

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Marsupialia

2. of or relating to a marsupium

marsupial Scientific  

/ mär-so̅o̅′pē-əl /

1. Any of various mammals of the order Marsupialia, whose young are very undeveloped when born and continue developing outside their mother's body attached to one of her nipples. Most marsupials have longer hindlegs than forelimbs, and the females usually have pouches in which they carry their young. Kangaroos, opossums, and koalas are marsupials.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• marsupialian
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• marsupials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of marsupial

First recorded in 1690–1700, marsupial is from the New Latin word marsupiālis pertaining to a pouch. See marsupium, -al ¹

Compare meaning

How does marsupial compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• marsupial vs. mammal

Explanation

Like primates, marsupials are a type of mammal. One thing all members of this family have in common is a pouch. The most famous marsupial is the kangaroo, but there are many others, such as wallabies, opossums, koalas, and wombats. What makes marsupials different from primates or rodents (who are also mammals) is that the mothers have pouches to hold their young. This is because when marsupial babies are born, they're not quite ready for the world, so the pouch gives them a chance to grow and be safe before having to live on their own. When you think marsupial, think "pouch."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marsupial marsupials

It may have split off early in marsupial history and then survived for millions of years while other groups evolved around it.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Instead, the teeth resembled those of Djarthia murgonensis, an extinct marsupial that lived about 35 million years earlier and is often viewed as a prototype for Australian marsupials.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Costing A$136,000, the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture's designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was "massive, lumbering and fascinating".

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

Staff at Hobart Airport in Australia's Tasmania state said the disoriented marsupial was spotted among the stuffed toys on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026

But Australia / New Guinea formerly had its own suite of diverse big mammals, including giant kangaroos, rhinolike marsupials called diprotodonts and reaching the size of a cow, and a marsupial “leopard.”

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

A nearly 20-million-year gap in the fossil history of Australian marsupials leaves room for many lineages that have not yet been found.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

However, their teeth were unusual, and they did not seem to be closely related to the other marsupials around them.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

"Evolutionary history is a lot more complex than just one group leading to all of Australia's marsupials after being left behind when the continent broke off from Antarctica," says Dr. Churchill.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Instead, the teeth resembled those of Djarthia murgonensis, an extinct marsupial that lived about 35 million years earlier and is often viewed as a prototype for Australian marsupials.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

But Australia / New Guinea formerly had its own suite of diverse big mammals, including giant kangaroos, rhinolike marsupials called diprotodonts and reaching the size of a cow, and a marsupial “leopard.”

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond