Reproduction

Abstract

Introduction There are many differences between the marsupials and the eutherian mammals, but their reproduction most clearly distinguishes these two groups of mammals (Tyndale-Biscoe and Renfree 1987). The name marsupial, which derives from the Latin marsupium, meaning purse, refers to the pouch in which the young in many marsupial species develops. Although not all species of marsupial have pouches, other reproductive features are diagnostic – these include the structure of the internal genitalia of females, and the relative positions of the scrotum and penis in males. Unlike many eutherian species, where emphasis is on prolonged gestation and well-developed young at birth, all marsupials ..