Joeys

Joey is the term used for the young of most marsupials, including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, and opossums. The word is gender-neutral and applied to both male and female offspring.

Most marsupial newborns are extremely underdeveloped at birth. After a brief gestation, a tiny, hairless, blind infant crawls from the birth canal to its mother’s pouch, where it latches onto a teat and continues development. The length of time a joey spends in the pouch varies by species, but it is generally several weeks to months.

In many kangaroos and wallabies, the joey remains in the pouch for about six to nine months, emerging gradually and continuing to nurse while riding on the mother’s back. Some species exhibit embryonic diapause, a reproductive strategy in which a new embryo begins development while the current joey remains in the pouch, helping to synchronize births with resource availability. Koalas also keep their young in the pouch for several months; after leaving the pouch, the joey may continue to cling to the mother or ride on her back while it finishes nursing and growing, with weaning occurring over a long period.

Outside the pouch, the young continue to develop and gain independence over many months. The term “joey” thus covers a range of development stages across the diverse marsupial group.