Marsupial gallery: A pouchful of cute

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North America's Marsupial

An opossum runs along a fence.

(Image credit: Robert Linder, Shutterstock)

Not known for its cuteness, the opossum is the most familiar marsupial in North America.

Wonderful Wombat

A wombat in grass.

(Image credit: Checha, Shutterstock)

Wombats are badger-sized burrowers and the closest living relative to koalas.

Bandicoot

A bandicoot roots in the forest.

(Image credit: Susan Flashman, Shutterstock)

This rodent-like critter is a bandicoot, one of several small marsupials native to Australia.

Cute Quoll

A quoll in a zoo.

(Image credit: Public Domain; Leonard G, Wikipedia)

Joining the bandicoot in the ranks of strangely-named marsupials is the quoll. These cat-sized creatures prey on other small mammals, including rabbits and opossums.

Red-legged Pademelon

A red-legged pademelon is closely related to the kangaroo.

(Image credit: Feralhipi, Shutterstock)

The smallest of the kangaroo-wallaby family are the pademelons, distinguishable by their diminutive size and nearly hairless tails. They live in mainly coastal areas in Australia.

Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.