Wallabies are medium-sized marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, closely related to kangaroos but generally smaller. Like all marsupials, they have a unique reproductive cycle where the young are born in a highly undeveloped state. This biology often prompts curiosity about how their offspring are named and how they grow into agile, powerful animals.
The Name for a Baby Wallaby
The proper term for a baby wallaby is a joey. This is the common designation for the young of most marsupials, including kangaroos, koalas, and wombats. The name reflects the small and underdeveloped nature of the young at birth. A joey begins its life completely dependent on its mother’s specialized care.
Birth and the Journey to the Pouch
The wallaby’s gestation period is short, lasting only about 28 to 29 days. At birth, the joey is a highly altricial embryo: blind, hairless, and tiny. It typically measures about one inch in length and weighs less than a single gram. This early birth is a defining characteristic of marsupial reproduction.
The newborn must then undertake an unaided journey from the birth canal to the mother’s pouch. Using its disproportionately developed forelimbs, the joey crawls through the mother’s fur, guided by instinct. Its hind legs are still mere buds, and its mouth is too undeveloped to suckle effectively outside the pouch.
Growth and Development Inside the Pouch
Once safely inside the pouch, the joey immediately locates and clamps onto a teat. The teat swells inside the joey’s mouth, locking it in place for the initial weeks of rapid growth. The pouch acts as a secondary womb, providing a stable, warm, and dark environment for post-natal development.
The mother produces specialized milk that changes composition as the joey grows. She can even provide different milk types from different teats to simultaneously nurse joeys of varying ages. The joey remains attached to the teat for several months, gradually developing fur and opening its eyes. Around five to six months of age, the joey begins to poke its head out of the pouch.
The joey starts taking short trips out of the pouch around six to seven months old, retreating quickly for safety and nourishment. It continues to use the pouch for refuge and to suckle until it is approximately eight to nine months old. Even after permanently exiting, the juvenile wallaby continues to nurse for several more months as it learns to graze and achieve independence.