Did you guess?

Did you guess what this is a picture of?

They are one-week old Short Tailed Opossum babies.

Unlike many marsupials, the Short Tailed Opossum does not have a pouch. They have a unique adaptation in caring for their young. New born babies will latch on to a nipple on their mother's stomach which then enlarges and holds the babies securely in place.

Here they are again, about 3 weeks later:


There's a lot more very interesting information about Short Tailed Opossums at Animal-World.

And now, a little more grown up.



Photo 1: Short Tailed Opossums
Photo 2 & 3: arachnoboards