For the first few weeks after birth, the dunnart has such poor control over its respiratory muscles that it cannot use them to breathe  Instead, this tiny marsupial breathes through its thin skin, which gradually thickens as the dunnart matures inside its mother' s pouch
The dunnart is unique among warm-blooded animals, the rest of which need thick skin throughout their lives to maintain body temperature and reduce water loss
Its mother's pouch keeps a newborn dunnart warm and reduces water loss through its skin.