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The brand new baby koala is seen by the media for the first time Thursday March 10. In February the joey emerged from its mother's pouch, where it spent several months after it was born. Photo: Jon Weiand

The San Francisco Zoo debuted its newest family member, a female baby koala, on Thursday, March 10. This is the first koala birth at the zoo in more than a decade.

Marsupial births are quite different from those of mammals, birds or reptiles. Marsupials are pouched animals, and the gestation period is just 35 days before the joey is born. The newborn is hairless and blind, with no visible ears.

After the bean-sized koala is birthed, it makes its way to the mother’s pouch completely unaided and continues to develop over the next six to seven months.

All photos: John Weiand / Ocean Beach Bulletin.

John Weiand is a San Francisco photojournalist. See more of his work on his blog.