Is a Bat a Marsupial?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 29, 2020

Bats are mammals but not marsupials. Marsupials experience the live birth of their young and carry the joey in a pouch during early development. Mammals also give birth to live offspring but have longer gestation periods and no need for a pouch to protect the young after birth.

Generally, adult female bats have one pup a year. A mother gives birth while hanging by her feet and must catch her baby with her wings as it drops. The pup is born without hair and with its eyes closed. The pup clings to its mother with its sharp claws. A bat pup can learn to fly within three to six weeks of its birth.