An infant marsupial is known as a joey. Marsupials have a very short gestation period (about 4–5 weeks), and the joey is born in an essentially fetal state. The blind, furless, miniature newborn, the size of a jelly bean[citation needed], crawls across its mother's fur to make its way into the pouch, where it latches onto a teat for food. It will not re-emerge for several months, during which time it develops fully. After this period, the joey begins to spend increasing lengths of time out of the pouch, feeding and learning survival skills. However, it returns to the pouch to sleep, and if danger threatens, it will seek refuge in its mother's pouch for safety.
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Record: 551-468
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