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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.
1.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps explain how newborn dunnarts manage to survive despite their thin skins?
a
The dunnart's respiratory muscles begin to develop a few days after birth.
b
The dunnart's body temperature is higher than that of many other warm-blooded animals.
c
Adult dunnarts experience more heat and water loss through their skin than other adult marsupials do.
d
Its mother's pouch keeps a newborn dunnart warm and reduces water loss through its skin.
e
Some dunnarts live where daytime temperatures are high and the climate is dry.