Question

Possums are found throughout much of Central and North America. Although their bodies are covered in hair, their tails and ears are hairless. They have many teeth and opposable clawless thumbs on their rear appendages. They produce poorly developed young that live in mom's pouch for about two and a half months before climbing on her back. Possums are ____

1) mammals
2) reptiles
3) birds
4) amphibians

Answer 1

Possums are mammals, specifically marsupials, as they give birth to underdeveloped young that continue to grow in the mother's pouch.

Step-by-step explanation:

Possums are indeed considered to be mammals. They are the only marsupials found in North America, which is a type of mammal. Marsupials differ from other mammals in that they give birth to poorly developed young that complete their development outside of the womb, often in a pouch on the mother's belly. The description provided, including the detail about the young living in the mother's pouch, is a characteristic feature of marsupials, categorizing possums as such.

Not to be confused with placental mammals which develop their young within the uterus receiving nutrients across the placenta or monotremes like the platypus that lay eggs, marsupials like the American opossum, kangaroos, and koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that continue growing in a pouch. Given this information, the correct answer to the student's question is that possums are mammals.