Koala mother and 8-month-old joey, Queensland, Australia
Koala mother and 8-month-old joey, Queensland, Australia (© Suzi Eszterhas/Minden Pictures)
For Mother’s Day, we salute these marsupial moms
Among mothers, few can claim as deep a bond with her baby as a koala mom. Because her pregnancy lasts only a month—likely making her the envy of other mammal mothers—her baby emerges into her embrace still in the embryonic stage, about the size of a jellybean. Mom will spend the next year carrying her baby, called a joey, either inside her pouch or on her back, a feat that makes her annual Mother’s Day card well-earned.
© Suzi Eszterhas/Minden Pictures