Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Kangaroos Can Pause Pregnancy While Raising Other Young
Some kangaroos can temporarily pause a pregnancy.
The developing baby is called an embryo.
The embryo can stay in a resting state for a while.
Meanwhile, the mother may give birth to another baby.
An older joey may still be growing in her pouch.
When conditions are right, the paused embryo starts developing again.
This lets one mother care for babies at different stages.
It is a special way for kangaroos to manage their young.
Female kangaroos can delay the development of a pregnancy.
A mother can give birth while an older joey is still developing in her pouch.
At the same time, another embryo can remain suspended.
The dormant embryo can resume development when conditions are right.
This allows a mother to manage offspring at different developmental stages.
- Who
- Female kangaroos.
- What
- They can suspend an embryo’s development and resume it later.
- When
- The embryo resumes development when conditions are right.
- Where
- The article refers to development in the mother’s reproductive system and an older joey developing in her pouch.
- Why
- To manage offspring at different developmental stages.
- Animal
- Kangaroo
- Reproductive ability
- Delayed pregnancy
- Suspended stage
- Embryo development can pause
- Other offspring
- An older joey may still be developing in the pouch
- Resumption
- The dormant embryo can resume development when conditions are right
- Result
- The mother can manage offspring at different stages