Question: What is the only marsupial native to the U.S.?
Answer: The only marsupial anywhere in the country is the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). These two- to three-foot-long mammals are the only animals north of Mexico that carry their young in pouches, a characteristic of marsupials that allows their babies to develop more fully before living independently from their mothers. All other mammals have placentas, which nourish their young while they are still in the womb.
