The Marsupial clade groups together mammals that are characterised by very short intra-uterine development and unique development of their newborns. At birth, these premature newborns (known as marsupial larvae), go, without any help from their mother, into their mother’s ventral pouch called the marsupium. The teats are located here and they grasp them by the mouth. The marsupial larvae will complete their development in this pouch. Marsupials are diurnal and nocturnal, terrestrial, arboreal, gliding and burrowing, insectivores, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores and nectarivores. They inhabit a variety of environments, including tropical forests, savannahs, arid regions, deserts and grasslands. Marsupials have been subdivided into the following orders.