An amazing information about kangaroo
Kangaroos are mammals of the genus Macropus, family Macropodidae, order Diprotodon . Kangaroos jump the highest and farthest. Female kangaroos have a front-opening pouch for their young, which is how the kangaroo got its name. Kangaroo refers to any marsupial of the order Macropodidae. It has a small head, big eyes, long ears, a long face, and black whiskers on both sides of its nostrils. Kangaroos are timid but alert, with keen vision, hearing, and smell. Kangaroos live by jumping. Their forelimbs are short and thin, which they can use to grab food. Their hind limbs are strong, and their toes are fused. Kangaroo’s thick tails serve as support when they are perched and as balance when they are jumping. Kangaroos like to live in groups of 20 to 30 and are herbivorous animals.
Kangaroos are found mainly in Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea. Some species are unique to Australia. Kangaroos are herbivores and also eat fungi. They feed on short, green grasses close to the ground, and some species also eat leaves or small tree buds. Most are active at night, but some are active in the early morning or evening. Different species of kangaroos live in a variety of natural environments in Australia, from cool climate rainforests, deserts, plains to tropical areas. Kangaroos are viviparous, have no placenta, and mate and reproduce in 1-2 months. The gestation period is 28-35 days and the cubs are born only about 2.5 cm long.
The kangaroo is a symbol of Australia and appears on Australian currency. The green triangle kangaroo represents Australian manufacturing, and the Qantas logo features a flying kangaroo. The kangaroo also becomes one of the animals on the Australian national emblem
Origin of the name
According to legend, ” Kangaroo ” is the English name of the kangaroo, which comes from the Australian Aboriginal Guugu Yimidhirr: “gangurru” , which means “I don’t know”. But all this is just a misunderstanding. During Joseph Banks’ first sailing trip, he arrived at the shore of the Endeavour River (now the port of Cooktown) . During the seven weeks of docking to repair the ship, he accidentally discovered a strange animal and asked the local Australian Aboriginals, but because of the language barrier, they took “I don’t know” as the English name of “kangaroo” and kept using it. But in fact, according to research by linguist
John B. Haviland , the local name for kangaroos is ” ganguro “, which does not mean “I don’t know”.
Morphological characteristics
Zoologists have verified that kangaroos are typical representatives of marsupials. Marsupials are incompletely developed animals and are premature fetuses, so they need to develop in the pouch. The mother kangaroo has four nipples, two high-fat and two low-fat. The mother kangaroo usually gives birth to 3 to 4 babies per litter. The kangaroos need to enter the pouch immediately after birth to consume low-fat milk. This determines that only 2 kangaroos can survive per litter; kangaroos are very small when they are born, about the size of a peanut. Adult kangaroos are 1.3 to 1.5 meters tall and can weigh up to 50 kilograms.
Kangaroos use their lower limbs to jump and run very fast, reaching speeds of more than 50 kilometers per hour. Kangaroos have a “multifunctional” tail that plays a very important role. When they are resting, it can support the ground and work together with their lower limbs to balance the body. When they are running, the tail is an important balance tool. In addition, the kangaroo’s tail is also an important weapon of attack and defense.
All kangaroos, regardless of their size, have one thing in common: strong, powerful hind legs with long feet; the Crural Index ( calf length / thigh length ) × 100, or (tibia length/femur length) × 100) for kangaroos is 172, with the red kangaroo reaching 202. far more than other animals, while humans have an average of just over 80. Kangaroos jump instead of running. They can jump up to 4 meters and up to 13 meters. They are mammals that can jump the highest and farthest. Most kangaroos live on the ground.
They can be easily distinguished from other animals by the way they jump on their strong hind legs. Kangaroos use their tails for balance during jumping, and when they walk slowly, their tails can serve as a fifth leg. The kangaroo’s tail is thick, long and full of muscles. It can support the kangaroo’s body when it is resting, and help the kangaroo jump faster and farther when it jumps.
All female kangaroos, but not males, have a front-opening pouch containing four nipples. The “kids” or baby kangaroos are raised in the pouch until they are old enough to survive in the outside world.
Habitat
Different species of kangaroos live in different natural environments. For example, the Portaloo kangaroo makes its own nest while the tree kangaroo lives in the bush. The large species of kangaroos prefer trees, caves and rock crevices for shelter.
Living habits
Kangaroos are herbivores that eat a variety of plants, and some also eat fungi. They are mostly active at night, but some are active in the early morning or evening.
Kangaroos live on short, green grass close to the ground, leaving long grass and hay for other animals. Some species of kangaroos also eat leaves or small tree buds. “Racial discrimination” is very serious in the kangaroo family. They cannot tolerate members of other races entering the family, and even family members returning after a long absence are not welcome. Even if the family accepts new members, they have to teach them a lesson until the new members learn many “rules” before they can integrate into the family.
Kangaroos usually live in groups , sometimes up to a hundred, but some smaller species of kangaroos live alone.
In the wild, when kangaroos are chased by enemies, they have their own unique way of fighting back. They lean their backs against trees, put their tails on the ground, and use their powerful hind legs to kick the abdomen of the enemies that run towards them. However, in the zoo, kangaroos are relatively docile and honest animals. They are well cared for, eat nutritious feed, and are accustomed to life in the zoo. In cold climates, they move into greenhouses with large glass windows to live.
Kangaroos are the largest mammals that hop on both hind legs, a gait that is unusual for large mammals, but it is not the only way kangaroos walk. Kangaroos do not just hop, but also crawl on all fours when moving slowly, but with the front and hind legs moving together rather than alternating.
Region
It is mainly distributed in grasslands and jungles in Oceania . Most kangaroos are endemic to Australia , but some tree kangaroos live on the island of New Guinea . Kangaroos are widely distributed in various regions of Oceania, from the cold Tasmania to the arid and hot Northern Territory, from national parks to the suburbs of cities, where they can be found.
Reproduction method
The mother kangaroo has two uteruses . When the baby is born in the right uterus, the embryo of the baby is also in the left uterus. The embryo will start to develop after the kangaroo grows up and leaves
the pouch . After about 40 days, the baby is born in the same way. In this way, the left and right uteruses take turns to get pregnant. If the external conditions are suitable, the mother kangaroo will continue to reproduce.
Kangaroos reproduce once or twice a year. The baby kangaroos are born about 30 to 40 days after fertilization . They are very small, blind, and have little hair. Kangaroos are immediately placed in the mother kangaroo’s pouch after birth. They do not leave the pouch for a short period of time until they are 6 to 7 months old to learn how to live. They can be officially weaned and leave the pouch after a year , but they still move around near the mother kangaroo to get help and protection at any time. The mother kangaroo can have a baby kangaroo outside the pouch, a baby kangaroo inside the pouch, and a baby kangaroo waiting to be born at the same time.
When the baby kangaroo grows to four months old, its hair grows all over its body, its back is black-gray, and its belly is light gray, which makes it look pretty. When it is five months old, sometimes when the baby kangaroo sticks its head out, the mother kangaroo will push its head down. The baby kangaroo is getting more and more naughty. When its head is pushed down, it will stretch its legs out again, and sometimes even drag its tail outside the pouch. Sometimes, such a big baby kangaroo will poop and pee in the pouch, so the mother kangaroo has to “clean” the pouch frequently: it uses its forelimbs to open the pouch, and uses its tongue to carefully lick the inside and outside of the pouch.
After the baby kangaroo grows to seven months in the pouch, it starts to jump out of the pouch to move around. But if it is frighten, it will quickly get back into the pouch. At this time, the pouch becomes like a rubber bag, very elastic, and can be open and closed, making it very convenient for the baby kangaroo to go in and out.
Finally, the baby kangaroo grows too big to fit in the pouch, so it has to move outside the pouch. But it still has to rely on the mother kangaroo’s milk to survive, so it puts its head into the pouch to drink milk.
After three or four years, a kangaroo matures into a giant kangaroo with a height of 1.6 meters and a weight of more than 100 kilograms. At this time, its physical strength has reached its peak and it can jump 65 kilometers per hour; a sweep of its tail can kill a person.
Population status
Large kangaroos have been more resilient to human development in Australia, while many of their smaller relatives face greater threats and are less abundant. As of 2013, there is no large-scale kangaroo farming industry, but wild kangaroos are hunted for meat, a controversial industry.
Kangaroos mainly feed on young branches and leaves of shrubs, green grass and soft plants. During the breeding process of kangaroos in zoos, oral diseases are a common disease with high incidence and recurrence rates, which bring great harm to kangaroos raised in zoos. The kangaroos affected by the disease were of all sexes, breeds and ages, and the course of the disease was often chronic, with an incidence rate of 40% to 60% and a mortality rate of 60% to 100%.
Variety classification
Red Kangaroo
The most famous kangaroo is the red kangaroo, which lives in the dry areas of Australia, where the average annual rainfall is less than 500 mm. Since the kangaroo’s food contains a lot of water, it can survive in areas without running water. In fact, only male red kangaroos are red, while female kangaroos are gray-blue. However, due to group breeding and hybridization, red female kangaroos have also appeared.
The big red kangaroo that lives in the open grasslands of southeastern Australia is a marsupial and a representative species of kangaroos. It can be call the king of modern marsupials.
The body of the red kangaroo is similar to that of a mouse, like a giant rat. In fact, it has no relationship with mice. Its fur is reddish brown, its body length is 130 to 150 cm, its tail length is 120 to 130 cm, and its weight is 70 to 90 kg. It has a small head, a long face, and black whiskers on both sides of its nostrils. They have big eyes and long ears. It has a strange appearance and is very lovable.
It has a small head, big ears, and big eyes. They are adapt to a jumping lifestyle. Its forelimbs are short and thin, which can be use to grab food. Its hind limbs are strong, and its toes are fuse. It can jump 5 meters in one step and can reach a speed of 40 to 65 kilometers per hour. Its tail is long and serves as a supporting organ when perching and a balancer when jumping.
The red kangaroo is active in the morning and evening, hiding in grass nests or shallow caves during the day. It likes to gather in groups of 20 to 30 or 50 to 60 people, and mainly feeds on plants such as grass. It is timid and alert, with keen vision, hearing and smell. Its long ears can hear the slightest sound, and then it will slip away.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Although not as famous as the red kangaroo , the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is the most common. It lives in more fertile areas.
Western Grey Kangaroo
The western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) is the smallest of the three kangaroos: adult males weigh 54 kg (119 lb) . It lives on the southwestern coast of Australia and in the Darling River Basin.
Musk Kangaroo
With a body length of only 15 to 20 cm and a tail length of 12.7 to 15 cm, they are the smallest kangaroos in the world. Compared with ordinary kangaroos jumping on the grassland, they are typical dwarf species. They have lived in the rainforest for more than 20 million years. Scientists are very worry about their survival and believe that they are easily affect by environmental changes.
Symbols of Australia
As one of the symbols of Australia, kangaroos have always been the pride of the locals. There are 60 million wild kangaroos in Australia, and the market for kangaroo meat products and other derivative products can generate $172 million in revenue each year.
Cultural Connotation
The kangaroo is a national animal of Australia. Many Australian organizations, such as Qantas, also use the kangaroo as their logo. Australian military vehicles and ships are often paint with kangaroo logos when performing missions overseas.
Another reason why Australia chose the kangaroo as one of the animals on its national emblem is that it always jumps forward and never retreats. It hopes that people will also have the spirit of never retreating like the kangaroo.
In 2020, the Australian organization Kangaroos Alive designated October 24 as World Kangaroo Day , with the mission of creating an international holiday to celebrate Australia’s national symbol.
