What A Kangaroo’s Pouch Looks Like On The Inside Is Stupefying The Internet
Image via Shutterstock
You might think a kangaroo’s coat is furry all over, but a viral video that is freaking the internet out has proven otherwise.
A clip shared on TikTok by animal lover Alexandra Kalin has made its rounds, as it offers a rare closeup look inside the pouch of a famously aggressive creature.
In the video, a person’s hand can be seen lifting the opening, only to reveal an interior of exposed flesh.
Before you get too hoppy over the aesthetics, there’s a number of biological reasons the pouches of mother kangaroos are designed this way. As explained by Business Insider, newborn joeys are blind, deaf, hairless, and too vulnerable to adapt to the Australian wilderness. The pocket, essentially a second womb made of skin, keeps the joey safe and cozy so it can grow comfortably.
The kangaroo’s pouch can also expand to fit the joey as it grows, thanks to its strong muscles and ligaments. It can also tighten to protect the baby, much like “pulling a drawstring bag closed.” As the pocket stretches, it can even carry the joey when it grows as large as a house cat, thousands of times the weight it was born with.
The pouch also contains four nipples that are able to spout different formulas of antibody-rich milk based on what the kangaroo’s babies need and their age groups.
@azoolife #OMG Peek inside the Pouch 😳 It’s a Baby Kangaroo 🦘 🥰 #ceoof of #quarantine #fyp #foryou #foryoupage
♬ original sound - azoolife
I THOUGHT KANGEROOS HAD A POUCH NOT A GAPING HOLE IN THEIR FLESH??????? pic.twitter.com/xFeSsyhTWM
— madelaine 🦇 (@jusdisappointin) May 5, 2020
this feels... a little invasive 😳
— Daisy និស្ស័យវិច្ឆិកា (@doseofdais) May 5, 2020
That's why they're so aggressive. You'd be too if you had your kids in your front pocket.
— Amani🇬🇭 (@AmaniJenei) May 5, 2020
Uhhhhwhat???https://t.co/J7nDzH3WW0 pic.twitter.com/jCNjUMAnui
— Monte Thigpen Ⓜ️ ✪ (@mot427) May 5, 2020
your answers ladies and gentlemen https://t.co/gt5h2W1NIg https://t.co/cBA2U2wjJX
— madelaine 🦇 (@jusdisappointin) May 5, 2020
[via @jusdisappointin and Business Insider, cover image via Shutterstock]
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