Who resembles whom?

Marsupials are mammals whose young are born “premature” and which complete their development firmly attached to their mother's teats, usually in a pouch. In America, they are largely represented by dozens of opossum species; the rest inhabit the Australasia, i.e., Australia, New Guinea and the surrounding islands.

It is in Australia (including Tasmania) that marsupials had their greatest boom. They make up the vast majority of mammalian species and have been able to take advantage of virtually every environment the region offers.

COMMON WOMBAT – WOODCHUCK
Like rodents, such as the woodchuck, marsupial wombats also have special gnawing teeth that grow constantly, replacing losses due to abrasion. They have the same menu as woodchucks, mainly consisting of grass, they have a squat body, and are proficient diggers.

NUMBAT – GIANT ANTEATER
Numbats are the Australian equivalent of South American anteaters. Both mainly feed on ants and termites, which they lap up with an extremely long, narrow tongue covered in sticky saliva.

TASMANIAN DEVIL – STRIPED HYENA
Both Tasmanian devils, which are marsupials, and hyenas, which are carnivorans, are indiscriminate scavengers with strong jaws. They will eat any animal matter, dead or alive, including hair and bones. In the wild they have an important role to play as the hygiene police that clear up carrion.

TASMANIAN TIGER – WOLF
The extinct Tasmanian tiger was a marsupial, just like kangaroos; however, in many ways it resembled canine or feline predators in appearance and lifestyle. It was a lone hunter able to bring down even large prey.

SWAMP WALLABY – JAVAN RUSA
Based on outward appearances, we would never group them together, but there is a similarity – both are typical browsers. Grazing wallabies and kangaroos in turn have a parallel in sheep. And like ruminants, to which sheep and rusa deer belong, wallabies and kangaroos have multi-chambered stomachs!

EASTERN QUOLL – PINE MARTEN
Quoll are medium-sized carnivorous marsupials that are capable of skilfully clambering over rocks or through treetops. They are extremely agile and ferocious, they hunt small vertebrates and insects, and their lifestyle resembles that of martens in many ways.