The kangaroo is an amazing marsupial mammal. Description of kangaroo, photo, video

(small), wallabies (medium) and large kangaroos. Systematically, the family is divided into three subfamilies: musky kangaroo rats (Hypsiprymnodontinae), true kangaroo rats (Potoropinae) and kangaroos (Macropodinae). Body length 25-160 cm, tail 15-105 cm, body weight 1.4-90 kg. The head is relatively small, with a short or long muzzle. The ears are large or short. All kangaroos, with the exception of tree kangaroos, have hind limbs that are much longer and stronger than their forelimbs. The front ones are five-fingered, with large claws. There is no first toe on the hind limbs (only musk kangaroos have them), the second and third are connected by a leathery membrane, the fourth is large, with a powerful claw, and the fifth is of moderate length. The tail is strong, covered with hair, and in most species is not prehensile. For a standing kangaroo, it serves as an additional support, and during jumping, as a balancer. The fur is thick and soft, black, gray or red in different shades. The brood pouch opens forward. There are 4 nipples, but usually 2 function. Males have a single urogenital duct.

Found in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago. Acclimatized in New Zealand. Inhabit landscapes various types. Terrestrial and arboreal animals.

The first European to see a kangaroo was the Dutch navigator F. Pelsaert in 1629, whose ship ran aground near the western coast of Australia. D. Cook first saw a kangaroo in 1770, and it was he who gave the animal its name. According to legend, when Cook asked what the jumping animal was called, the aborigines answered “kangaroo.” Cook decided that this was the name of the beast. In fact, in the language of the local tribe it meant “I don’t understand.” In 1773, the first live kangaroo was sent to England as a gift to King George III. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Attempts were made to acclimatize wallabies (in Germany) and gray giant kangaroos (in England). Kangaroos successfully reproduced and even survived harsh winters well. However, they were all exterminated by poachers.

Kangaroos are active mainly at night. The day is spent in grass nests or burrows. They usually live in small groups consisting of a male and several females. Pregnancy lasts 22-40 days. In a litter there are 1-2 cubs, 7-25 mm in size, weighing 0.6-5.5 g. A newborn (almost an embryo), practically devoid of hair, the hind limbs are poorly developed, bent and covered by the tail, claws are clearly visible on the front limbs. While the eyes and ears of the embryo are completely undeveloped, it has open nostrils and a formed olfactory center in the brain. A newborn kangaroo makes its way to the pouch, clinging to its mother's fur and navigating by smell. In large kangaroos, 5-30 minutes pass between the moment of birth and the moment of attachment to the nipple. After the baby is attached, a thickening forms at the end of the nipple. It is impossible to separate the baby kangaroo from the nipple without damaging its mouth. Interestingly, the mother is more of a witness to the activity of the newborn than his assistant. Once in the mother's pouch, the baby kangaroo develops there for about six months, tightly sucking on the nipple. Then he begins to get out and try plant foods, but feeds on milk for another 1.5 months. In case of danger, it hides in a bag, the size of the entrance hole of which the mother can arbitrarily change.

Kangaroos are primarily herbivores, but some also feed on insects and worms. When moving calmly, kangaroos make jumps up to 1.5 meters in length. When running away from danger, they jump 8-12 meters and reach speeds of up to 88 km/h, but quickly get tired. You can easily catch up with them even on a horse. Kangaroos have invented a unique way of fighting dogs. An animal pursued by dogs runs into the water and waits for a swimming dog, then grabs it by the head and begins to drown it. The dog immediately stops fighting and tries to jump ashore. If there is no water nearby, the kangaroo stands with its back to the tree and strikes the running enemy in the stomach with its hind legs. Small wallabies and large kangaroo cubs can be eaten by carpet pythons or wedge-tailed eagle. However, heat, drought and hunger are more dangerous for kangaroos than predatory animals. To survive in dry, almost barren lands, kangaroos learned to dig wells up to a meter deep. Kangaroo wells are used by wild pigeons, pink cockatoos, marsupial martens and emus. Small kangaroos live up to 8 years, medium kangaroos live up to 12 years, and large kangaroos live up to 16 years.

Musk kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus), 1 species, body length 25, tail 15 cm. Externally similar to a rat. The head is short, the muzzle is pointed, the ears are bare and slightly pointed. The tail is bare and covered with scales. The back is reddish-gray, the belly is yellowish. It lives in north-east Queensland in rain forests, bush thickets, along the banks of rivers and lakes. Active during the day. Found alone or in pairs. It usually moves on four legs. In moments of danger - only in the rear. It feeds on insects, plant roots and berries.

Listed in the Red Book.

Great rat kangaroo (Aepyprymnus rufescens), 1 species. Body length 52, tail 38 cm. Ears are wide and rounded. The fur is coarse, reddish-gray on the back, white on the belly. Distributed from eastern Queensland to eastern New South Wales. Occupies coastal landscapes, steppes, savannas and light forests. Leads a solitary lifestyle. During the day he sleeps in a nest of grass. It feeds on plant roots. Before the introduction of European foxes to Australia, they were numerous.

Tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus Muller), 7 species. Body length 50-90, tail 43-85 cm. Head short and wide. The hind limbs are slightly longer than the large and strong forelimbs. The claws are powerful and strongly curved. The fur on the back is black, brown or gray, the hair points forward. The belly is white, yellow or red. They live in the forests of North Queensland and New Guinea. Capable of jumping from tree to tree up to 9 m in length. Herbivores. Polygamy. 2 subspecies are listed in the Red Book.

Rock kangaroos (Petrogale Gray), 7 species. Body length 38-80, tail 35-90 cm, weight 3-9 kg. The head is elongated, the ears are long. The claw on the middle toe of the hind limb is short. The hair on the back is directed with the tips forward (except for the ring-tailed one), the fur on the back is reddish-brown or gray, and the fur on the belly is white. The range occupies almost the whole of Australia. They prefer rocky landscapes. The ring-tailed kangaroo (P. xanthopus) is listed in the Red Book.

Gray giant kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), body length 1.5 m, tail 90 cm. Males are a quarter larger than females. The ears are large and mobile. The hind limbs are long and powerful. The tail is long, powerful, thick at the base. The fur on the back is orange-gray or brownish-red, and the fur on the belly is light.

Distributed throughout eastern Australia. Its usual biotope is eucalyptus savannah, where it grazes in groups of 30-50 individuals. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. At the beginning of the year, the rutting period begins. At this time, fierce fights are possible between males for possession of the female. Gestation is 30-40 days, 1 baby is born. The baby kangaroo stays in its mother's pouch for 2 months. In December, young kangaroos separate from their mothers and form a new flock.

Herbivorous. In large numbers it can cause significant damage to the crop. The peaceful and trusting nature of the gray kangaroo makes it a frequent prey for hunters. When fleeing, it is capable of jumping up to 9 m in length.

The great red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) is found throughout Australia. Sexual dimorphism is characteristic. Females are pale gray, males are red-red. Males have on the neck and chest skin glands, secreting a pink secretion. During the mating season, the fur on their necks takes on a pinkish tint. The red kangaroo prefers vast inland plains, where it lives in herds of 10-12 individuals. In some places it is numerous and harmful to agriculture. It is the red kangaroo that uses boxing “techniques” to sort things out. Well tamed, friendly.

Ecology

Basics:

Kangaroos are herbivorous mammals that eat great amount various greenery, including grass, shoots, leaves of trees and shrubs. Animals take most of their moisture from food, so they can for a long time don't drink water at all.

Like cows, kangaroos have a stomach with several chambers, which allows them to digest food well. They regurgitate grass and leaves, chewing them repeatedly before finally swallowing them. Kangaroos also have special teeth: molars regularly fall out, and new ones grow in their place.

Kangaroos reach a length of 1 to 3 meters and can weigh from 18 to 100 kilograms, depending on the species. Eastern gray kangaroo - the heaviest among marsupials in the world, and big red kangaroo - the largest in size.

The hind legs and feet of a kangaroo are much stronger and longer than the front legs. They have muscular long tails, very thick at the base, which allow them to maintain balance and guide movements while jumping.

If we talk about jumping, then the kangaroo is the only large animal that jumps while moving. Males can jump up to 3 meters in height and up to 9 meters in length, and during jumps reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.

Kangaroos are very social animals. They often live in groups - flocks, which consist of 10 to 100 individuals. Males engage in fights for dominant status.

If a kangaroo senses danger, it warns the entire flock with loud kicks of its legs on the ground. They can also make various sounds such as grunting, sneezing, hissing and clicking.

Kangaroos belong to the infraclass marsupials. These animals are distinguished by the fact that they give birth to their young underdeveloped, but they continue to develop in a special fold of skin on the mother’s abdomen - the bursa.

A female kangaroo gives birth once a year after only a month of pregnancy. At birth, the baby reaches a size of 5 to 2.5 millimeters - from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a bee.

The tiny and blind cub immediately crawls into its mother's pouch, where it continues to develop for another 120 to 400 days. The grown cubs stick their snouts out of the pouch and begin exploring their surroundings several weeks before they leave the pouch.

Habitats:

The Kangaroo is native to Australia. They have adapted well to living in a wide range of environments and are often seen in public parks, gardens and even golf courses.

Red kangaroos live in dry and semi-desert areas, where they feed on scarce local greenery. Due to drought, the kangaroo population is declining because there is less food available.

The western gray kangaroo lives in forests, woodlands, bushland, grasslands of eastern Australia and on the island of Tasmania.

Antelope kangaroo lives in monsoon tropical woodlands in the northern part of the continent.

Security status: causing the lowest risk of extinction

The main kangaroo species are not at serious risk of extinction, but populations are declining due to agricultural development, habitat loss, fires and hunting. Australian law protects the eastern and western gray kangaroos. They can be hunted with special permission for the purpose of obtaining skin and meat.

The Latin name for the kangaroo family is Macropodidae– means "big foot"

Word "kangaroo" It was first recorded by British traveler and explorer James Cook after hearing the name of the animal from local residents.

A female kangaroo can become pregnant immediately after giving birth to her baby. The younger brother or sister also climbs into the bag. Both cubs, the eldest and the youngest, feed different types milk that the mother produces.

The young do not leave the pouch until a certain age and have to defecate and urinate in the pouch. When they are small, there are no particular problems, but when they grow up, some of the secretions are absorbed. Females have to clean their pouches regularly.

Kangaroos have good hearing, and, like cats, they “prick up” their ears and pick up the quietest sounds.

Kangaroos cannot move backwards, but they are excellent swimmers.

The faster kangaroos jump, the less energy they expend.

Australia has many unusual and mysterious animals, and a special place among them is occupied by kangaroos, or more precisely, the kangaroo family, which includes large and medium-sized kangaroos, wallaroos and wallabies. There are also kangaroo rats, small animals similar to wallabies, but this is an independent family in the suborder Macropodiformes of the order Two-incisor marsupials, which includes kangaroos.

The most famous features of the kangaroo are the presence of a pouch for carrying babies and characteristic way movement, jumping, allowing you to quickly move and overcome various obstacles. Someone may remember the difficult nature of kangaroos, which leads to skirmishes and fights among adult males. But in fact, these animals still have many differences and unusual features. Some of their secrets are still a mystery to scientists.

This article does not promise a complete set of encyclopedic knowledge about the kangaroo, but is intended to tell in detail about this animal, the myths associated with it, as well as Interesting Facts, whose hero is a kangaroo.

Appearance

Firstly, the kangaroo family is very diverse and has more than 50 species, from the smallest, up to 30 cm in height, to giant animals over 1.5 meters, reaching a weight of 90 kg. The most major representatives families, gray and red (red) kangaroos, some males of which grow up to 3 meters and weigh up to 100 kg. The physique of all members of the family is similar - powerful, developed hind legs, a thick tail and small, human-like arms. The appearance determined the characteristic method of movement - springy jumps on the hind legs. The jumps of some adults reach 12 meters in length and 3 meters in height; in case of danger, kangaroos reach speeds of up to 60 km/h. The thick tail serves as a balancer during a jump, and in a calm state it serves as additional support; standing on its hind legs and using its tail, kangaroos hold their torso in an upright position. In case of danger, kangaroos deliver powerful blows with their hind legs, often breaking the bones of the attacking animal. The front, underdeveloped paws with sharp claws are used for digging up roots and succulent stems.

Kangaroos cannot walk backwards. The Australians noticed this and, together with the emu, which also cannot walk backwards, they placed the kangaroo on the unofficial part of the Australian coat of arms above the motto “Australia, forward!”, thus symbolizing progress, the only forward movement that the country follows.

Habitat

An amazing feature of kangaroos is that they can go without water for a long time, sometimes for months. They take water from plants, sometimes during dry periods, peel off the bark of trees and lick the juice. Suffering from the heat, kangaroos lick their skin, thus cooling themselves, but they drink water in extremely rare cases.

Kangaroos are social animals; they live either in small groups consisting of a male with several females and cubs, or in large flocks of up to 100 kangaroos. When there is danger, kangaroos warn their fellow tribesmen by knocking their paws on the ground. Only mountain kangaroos, wallaroos, prefer to live alone. Old male wallaroos are also very aggressive. If other types of large kangaroos do not attack themselves, preferring to run away from danger, and use their special fighting techniques - claws and powerful kicks - as defense, then wallaroos are very pugnacious. Wallaroos scratch and bite, but surprisingly, they never use their strongest weapon - their legs. Why is a mystery! In Australia, kangaroo fights are widespread; they are organized as entertainment for tourists, but for residents of the country it is a whole industry with betting on betting.

Features of reproduction

One more amazing feature Kangaroos are their breeding system. Like all marsupials, their babies are born very prematurely and are finally formed in the mother's pouch. But, new cub a mother kangaroo appears every year as soon as the previous one finally leaves the pouch. It turns out that immediately after birth, and in swamp wallabies the day before, female kangaroos mate. The new embryo freezes in development and remains in this state until a certain “signal” - the bag is freed. Thus, a caring mother can have 3 cubs at the same time - one adult who has just left the pouch, the second growing in the pouch, and the third an embryo in pause mode.

By the way, only the female kangaroo has a bag, and she controls it using special muscles. Thus, the mother herself decides when to release the baby into the wild. When swimming, these muscles reliably protect the baby, so that not a single drop of water leaks inside. There are 4 nipples inside the bag, each of which produces milk that differs in composition and is required at different times. age period cub. If a mother has 2 babies of different ages, then each will receive their own milk, which is required for development. Previously, there was an opinion that cubs were immediately born in the pouch, but in fact, a tiny, unformed baby crawls into the pouch on its own along a path licked in the fur and attaches itself to a nourishing nipple. He cannot suck on his own yet, so the mother, controlling the muscles of the nipple, injects milk, the nipple swells and gets stuck in the baby’s mouth. The cub will remain in this “suspended” position until it grows up.

Kangaroos are also very loving and caring mothers. Not only do they feed and protect the already grown cubs, they let them into their pouch in case of danger or simply when they need their mother’s warmth, even if a younger brother is already growing in the pouch. During an attack, escaping from the chase, the female quietly throws the cub out of the pouch into the bushes or tall grass, saving it from pursuit and diverting attention to herself. Later, she definitely returns for him if she herself manages to escape.

Natural enemies

In nature, kangaroos have few natural enemies. Young kangaroos of small species are attacked by dingoes, foxes or birds of prey. After the extermination of the kangaroo's main enemy, the marsupial wolf, there were no serious opponents. What bothers them most are sand flies, swarming in clouds near water bodies. Insects bite animals, stick to the eyes and often lead to blindness.

The size of kangaroo populations depends on the species. Large species have recently expanded greatly, and it is estimated that there are now three times more kangaroos than people in Australia. Some species became extinct or were exterminated. Other species are shot for their valuable fur and meat. Kangaroo meat is considered very healthy as it contains a minimal amount of fat. If the numbers of some species are not regulated, then when kangaroos proliferate greatly, they cause great damage to pastures and agricultural crops. Some types of kangaroos are specially bred on farms. Medium-sized wallabies are often captured for zoos in other countries, where they thrive and reproduce. In captivity, kangaroos are easily tamed and even communicate with visitors.

And finally, note that in Australian English language own words are used to denote the male, female and child types of kangaroos. The males are called the old man or "boomer", the females are called "doe" or "flyer", and the baby is called "joey".

Kangaroo is a mammal that belongs to the order Two-incisor marsupials (lat. Diprotodontia), the Kangaroo family (lat. Macropodidae). Among these animals there are many endangered and rare species.

The term "kangaroo" is also applied to the family of Kangaroo rats, or potoroos. Potoroidae), the features of which we will discuss in another article.

Etymology of the word "kangaroo"

Interpretations (etymologies) of words can be scientific and folk, and very often they do not coincide. The case of the origin of the name kangaroo is one of the most typical such examples. Both interpretations agree that this word comes from the language of the Aboriginal people of Australia. When Captain Cook sailed to the mainland, he saw strange animals and asked the natives what these unusual animals were called. The aborigines answered: “gangaru.” Some scientists believe that in the native language “keng” (or “gang”) meant “jump”, and “roo” meant “four-legged”. Other researchers translate the locals' response as "I don't understand."

Linguists are confident that the word “kanguroo” or “gangurru” appeared in the language of the Australian Guugu-Yimithirr tribe, which lived on the coast of the Botanical Bay of the Tasman Sea. With this word local residents called black and gray kangaroos. When Cook's expedition arrived on the mainland, all representatives of the kangaroo family began to be called this way. Literally, kangaroo is translated as “big jumper”, as opposed to the “little jumper”, which the Aborigines called “waloru”. This word has now changed to "wallaby" and is present in the species name of the mountain kangaroo. It also became a collective name for all medium-sized representatives of the kangaroo family.

What does a kangaroo look like? Description and characteristics of the animal

In a broad sense, the term “kangaroo” is used in relation to the entire Kangaroo family, and in a narrow sense it is used only in relation to large, real, or gigantic representatives of this taxon, the foot of whose hind legs is longer than 25 cm. Smaller animals are more often called wallaroo and wallaby. The common name “giant kangaroos” can equally be applied to both real kangaroos and wallaroos, since they are also tall.

The Kangaroo family includes 11 genera and 62 species included in them. The maximum length was recorded in the eastern gray kangaroo (lat. Macropus giganteus): it is 3 meters. In second place is the gigantic red kangaroo (lat. Macropus rufus) with a body size excluding the tail of up to 1.65 m. True, the gigantic red one loses in weight. Its maximum weight is 85 kg, with the eastern gray kangaroo weighing 95 kg.

On the left is an eastern gray kangaroo (lat. Macropus giganteus), photo credit: Benjamint444, CC BY-SA 3.0. On the right is a gigantic red kangaroo (lat. Macropus rufus), photo by: Drs, Public Domain

The smallest representatives of the Kangaroo family are the Philanders, the striped hare-wallaby and the short-tailed kangaroo (quokka). For example, the body length of a mini-kangaroo, red-necked philander (lat. Thylogale thetis), reaches only 29-63 cm. At the same time, the animal’s tail grows to 27-51 cm. The average weight of females is 3.8 kg, males – 7 kg.

Quokkas (lat. Setonix brachyurus) have overall body dimensions with a tail from 65 cm to 1.2 m. Their weight is less: females weigh from 1.6 kg, and the weight of males does not exceed 4.2 kg. The length of the body of the striped wallaby hare (lat. Lagostrophus fasciatus) is 40-45 cm, the tail length is 35-40 cm, and the mammal weighs from 1.3 to 2.1 kg.

Sign: On the left is the red-necked philander (lat. Thylogale thetis), photo author: Gaz, CC BY-SA 3.0. In the center is a quokka (lat. Setonix brachyurus), photo credit: SeanMack, CC BY-SA 3.0. On the right is a striped wallaby (Lagostrophus fasciatus), photo by John Gould, Public Domain.

Typically, male kangaroos are much larger in size than females. The growth of females stops soon after the start of reproduction, but males continue to grow, as a result of which old individuals are much larger than young ones. A female gray or red kangaroo weighing 15–20 kg, participating in reproduction for the first time, can be courted by a male who is 5–6 times larger than her. Sexual dimorphism is most pronounced in large species. In contrast, in small wallabies, adults of different sexes have similar sizes.

Large kangaroos are very interesting animals that are difficult not to recognize. Their head is small, with large ears and large almond-shaped eyes. The eyes are framed by long, dense eyelashes that reliably protect the cornea from dust. The animals' noses are black and bare.

The lower jaw of a kangaroo has a peculiar structure, its rear ends are bent inward. In total, the animals have 32 or 34 teeth, which do not have roots and are adapted to feeding on rough plant foods:

• one wide, forward-facing incisor on each half of the lower jaw;
• small blunt fangs, reduced in some species;
• 4 pairs of molars, replaced as they wear out and equipped with blunted tubercles. When the last teeth wear out, the animal begins to starve.

The kangaroo's neck is thin, the chest is narrow, the front legs seem to be underdeveloped, while the jumping legs are very strong and massive.

The kangaroo's tail, thick at the base and tapering towards the end, serves as a balancer when jumping, and in large individuals it serves as a support for the body during fights and sitting. It does not perform a grasping function. The length of a kangaroo's tail varies from 14.2 to 107 cm, depending on the species. The tail of the Philanderer is shorter and thicker, and also less furry than that of the wallaby.

Muscular thighs support the narrow pelvis of mammals. On the even longer bones of the lower leg, the muscles are not so developed, and the ankles are designed in such a way that they prevent the foot from turning to the side. During rest or slow movement, the animal's body weight is distributed over long narrow feet, creating the effect of plantigrade walking. However, when jumping, the kangaroo rests on only two toes - the 4th and 5th. The second and third fingers were reduced and turned into a single process with two claws used for cleaning fur. The first toe is completely lost.

As a result of the evolution of the rock wallaby, the soles of its hind legs are covered with thick hair, which helps the animal to stay on slippery, wet or grassy surfaces. Their body became massive, covered with coarse, thick hair.

Philanders and tree-wallabies are somewhat different from other kangaroos. Their hind legs are not large, like those of other kangaroos.

Left: Tasmanian pademelon, photo by fir0002, GFDL 1.2; right: Goodfellow's kangaroo (lat. Dendrolagus goodfellowi), photo credit: Richard Ashurst, CC BY 2.0

Latin name of the family Macropodidae received according to gender Macrop us, which includes the red kangaroo. From Latin this word is translated as “big-legged”. The term is quite appropriate for the largest mammal, moving by jumping on powerful hind legs. But this is not the only way of movement for representatives of the Kangaroo family. These mammals not only jump: they can also walk slowly on all fours, which move in pairs rather than alternately.

When large and medium-sized animals raise their hind legs to carry them forward, they rely on their tail and front paws. When jumping, kangaroos can reach speeds of 40-60 km/h, but over short distances. Since their method of movement is very energy-consuming, they get tired and slow down just 10 minutes after they start jumping quickly.

When resting, they sit on their hind legs, holding their body upright and leaning on their tail, or lie on their side. Animals lying on their sides rest on their forelimbs.

When large kangaroos escape from enemies, they make jumps 10-12 m long. They also jump over fences 3 meters high and “fly over” four-lane highways. They are helped by the Achilles tendons of the legs, which act like springs. At average speed“running” (20 km/h) the kangaroo jumps at a distance of 2-3 m.

Kangaroos are excellent swimmers, and they often escape from enemies in the water. At the same time, their legs make alternating, rather than paired movements.

The front paws of large kangaroos are small, with five movable toes on a short and wide hand. The fingers end in strong, sharp claws: animals actively work with them, take food, comb fur, grab enemies during defense, open the bag, dig wells, burrows and underground parts of plants. Large species also use the forelimbs for thermoregulation, licking their inner side: saliva, evaporating, cools the blood in the network of superficial vessels of the skin.

Soft, short (2-3 cm long), not shiny, thick kangaroo fur has a protective color. It comes in different shades of grey, yellow, black, brown or red. Many species have diffuse dark or light stripes: along the lower back, around the upper thigh, in the shoulder area, behind or between the eyes. The limbs and tail are often darker than the body, and the belly is usually light. Some rock and tree kangaroos have longitudinal or transverse stripes on their tails.

The males of some groups are brighter colored than the females: for example, the males of the red kangaroo are sandy-red in color, while the females are blue-gray or sandy-gray. But this dimorphism is not absolute: some males can be blue-gray, and females red. Hair color in each sex appears immediately after birth, rather than being the result of hormonal changes during puberty, as in many ungulates.

There are albino kangaroos with white fur.

Although marsupial bones are developed in both males and females, only the belly of the females of all kangaroos is equipped with a pouch that opens forward. It is needed to carry helpless newborn babies to term. At the top of the pouch there are muscles with which the female closes it tightly if necessary: ​​for example, so that the baby kangaroo does not choke while the mother is in the water.

How long do kangaroos live?

Average life expectancy of kangaroos natural conditions is 4-6 years. Large species in nature can live 12-18 years, in captivity - 28 years.

What does a kangaroo eat?

Basically, kangaroos are herbivores. But among them there are also omnivorous species. Large red kangaroos feed on dry, tough and often thorny grass (for example, triodia (lat. Triodia)). Short-faced kangaroos eat mainly underground storage parts of plants: thickened roots, rhizomes, tubers and bulbs. They also eat the bodies of some fungi, playing an important role in the spread of their spores. Small wallabies, including hares and claw-tails, feed on grass leaves, seeds and fruits.

In moderately humid forests, the diet of kangaroos includes more fruits and leaves of dicotyledonous plants, which dominate the diet of tree kangaroos, swamp wallabies and philanders. Woody species can also eat eggs and chicks, cereals and even tree bark.

Different types of kangaroos eat alfalfa (lat. Medicago), clover (lat. Trifolium), ferns (lat. Polypodiophyta), eucalyptus leaves (lat. . Eucalyptus) and acacias (lat. Acacia), cereals and other plants. Red-legged Philanders enjoy eating the fruits of trees such as Ficusmacrophylla And Pleiogynium timorense, sometimes eat the leaves of ferns from the genus Nephrolepis (lat. Nephrolepis cordifolia), dendrobium orchids (lat. Dendrobium speciosum), nibble grass ( Paspalum notatum And Cyrtococcum oxyphyllum), periodically catch cicadas. Diet of the glove wallaby (lat. Macropus irma) includes plants such as carpobrotus edulis (lat. Carpobrotus edulis), pigweed (lat. Cynodon dactylon), Nuitsia profusely flowering (Christmas tree) ( lat . Nuytsia floribunda).

The smallest kangaroos are the most selective in their food preferences. They seek out high-quality foods, many of which require careful digestion. Large species, on the contrary, tolerate low-quality nutrition, consuming a wide range of plant species.

Kangaroos graze at different times of the day, depending on the weather. In the heat, they can lie in the shade all day, and at dusk they set off. These animals are very undemanding to water: they can not drink for a month or even more (up to 2-3 months), being content with the moisture of plants or licking dew from stones and grass. Wallaroo strip the bark from trees to drink their sap. In dry places, large kangaroos have learned to get to the water themselves. When they are thirsty, they dig wells up to a meter deep with their paws. These watering holes are used by many other animals: pink cockatoos (lat. Eolophus roseicapilla), marsupial martens(lat. Dasyurus), wild, etc.

The kangaroo's stomach is adapted to digesting rough plant foods. It is disproportionately large, complex, but not multi-chambered. Some Kangaroos regurgitate semi-digested gruel from the stomach and chew it again, as do ungulate ruminants. They are helped in breaking down fiber by up to 40 species of bacteria that live in different parts of their gastrointestinal tract. The role of fermentation agent in them is also performed by massively reproducing symbiotic yeast fungi.

At the zoo, kangaroos are fed herbs; the basis of their diet is rolled oats mixed with seeds, nuts, dried fruits and wheat crackers. The animals happily eat vegetables, corn and fruits.

Classification of kangaroos

According to the database www.catalogueoflife.org, the Kangaroo family (lat. Macropodidae) includes 11 genera and 62 modern species (data from 04/28/2018):

• Genus Tree kangaroos (lat. Dendrolagus)
  • Dendrolagus bennettianus– Bennett's Kangaroo
  • Dendrolagus dorianus– Kangaroo Doria
  • Dendrolagus goodfellowi– Kangaroo Goodfellow
  • Dendrolagus inustus– Grey-haired tree kangaroo
  • Dendrolagus lumholtzi– Lumholtz's Kangaroo (Lumholtz)
  • Dendrolagus matschiei– Kangaroo Matches (Matshi)
  • Dendrolagus mbaiso– Tree wallaby, dingiso, bondegezoo
  • Dendrolagus pulcherrimus
  • Dendrolagus scottae– Papuan tree kangaroo
  • Dendrolagus spadix– Plains tree kangaroo
  • Dendrolagus stellarum
  • Dendrolagus ursinus– Bear kangaroo, bear-shaped kangaroo
• Genus Shrub kangaroos (lat. Dorcopsis)
  • Dorcopsis atrata– Black bush kangaroo, Goodenough kangaroo
  • Dorcopsis hageni– Hagen Kangaroo
  • Dorcopsis luctuosa
  • Dorcopsis muelleri
• Genus Forest kangaroos (lat. Dorcopsulus)
  • Dorcopsulus macleayi– Macleay's Kangaroo
  • Dorcopsulus vanheurni– Mountain bush kangaroo
• Genus Hare kangaroo (lat. Lagorchestes)
  • Lagorchestes asomatus– Small rabbit kangaroo
  • Lagorchestes conspicillatus– Spectacled kangaroo
  • Lagorchestes hirsutus– Shaggy kangaroo, tufted kangaroo
  • † Lagorchestes leporides– Long-eared kangaroo
• Genus Striped kangaroo (lat. Lagostrophus)
  • Lagostrophus fasciatus– Striped kangaroo, striped wallaby hare
• Genus Gigantic kangaroos (lat. Macropus)
  • Macropus fuliginosus– Western gray kangaroo
  • Macropus giganteus – Giant kangaroo, or giant gray kangaroo
  • Macropus (Notamacropus) agilis– Agile wallaby, agile kangaroo
  • Macropus (Notamacropus) dorsalis– Black-striped wallaby
  • Macropus (Notamacropus) eugenii– Eugenia Kangaroo, Eugenia Philander, Lady Kangaroo, Derby Kangaroo, Tamnar
  • Macropus (Notamacropus) irma– Glove Wallaby
  • Macropus (Notamacropus) parma– White-breasted philander, or white-breasted wallaby
  • Macropus (Notamacropus) parryi– Wallaby Parry
  • Macropus (Notamacropus) rufogriseus– Red-gray wallaby
  • Macropus (Osphranter) antilopinus– Antelope kangaroo, antelope kangaroo
  • Macropus (Osphranter) bernardus– Black wallaroo, aka Bernard's kangaroo
  • Macropus (Osphranter) robustus– Mountain kangaroo, mountain wallaroo, common wallaroo
  • Macropus (Osphranter) rufus– Red kangaroo, big red kangaroo, giant red kangaroo
  • † Macropus (Notamacropus) grayi– Gray's Kangaroo
• Genus Claw-tailed kangaroos, also known as nail-tailed kangaroos (lat. Onychogalea)
  • Onychogalea fraenata– Short-clawed kangaroo, bridle kangaroo, or dwarf kangaroo
  • Onychogalea unguifera– Flat-clawed kangaroo
  • †Onychogalea lunata– Lunar-clawed kangaroo, crescent-clawed kangaroo
• Genus Rock wallabies, rock kangaroos, rock kangaroos (lat. Petrogale)
  • Petrogale assimilis– Queensland rock wallaby
  • Petrogale brachyotis– Short-eared kangaroo, or short-eared wallaby
  • Petrogale burbidgei– Wallaby Barbage
  • Petrogale coenensis
  • Petrogale concinna– Pygmy rock wallaby
  • Petrogale godmani– Godman's Wallaby, Godman's Kangaroo
  • Petrogale herberti
  • Petrogale inornata– Spectacled rock wallaby
  • Petrogale lateralis– Black-footed rock wallaby
  • Petrogale mareeba
  • Petrogale penicillata– Brush-tailed rock-wallaby, brush-tailed rock-kangaroo, brush-tailed rock-wallaby
  • Petrogale persephone– Persephone's wallaby
  • Petrogale purpureicollis– Purple-necked wallaby
  • Petrogale rothschildi– Rothschild's wallaby, Rothschild's kangaroo
  • Petrogale sharmani
  • Petrogale xanthopus– Ring-tailed kangaroo, yellow-footed kangaroo, yellow-footed rock wallaby
• Genus Short-tailed kangaroos (lat. Setonix)
  • Setonix brachyurus– Quokka, short-tailed kangaroo
• Philander family (lat. Thylogale)
  • Thylogale billardierii– Tasmanian philander, red-bellied philander
  • Thylogale browni– Philander Brown
  • Thylogale brunii– New Guinea Philander
  • Thylogale calabyi Philander Calabi
  • Thylogale lanatus Mountain Philander
  • Thylogale stigmatica– Red-footed philander
  • Thylogale thetis– Red-necked philander
• Genus Wallaby (lat. Wallabia)
  • Wallabia bicolor– Swamp wallaby
  • † Wallabia indra
  • † Wallabia kitcheneris
• † Genus Watutia
  • † Watutia novaeguineae
• † Genus Dorcopsoides(Dorcopsoides)
  • † Dorcopsoides fossilis
• † Genus Kurrabi
  • † Kurrabi mahoneyi
  • † Kurrabi merriwaensis
  • † Kurrabi pelchenorum
• † Genus Procoptodon (lat. Procoptodon)

In what country do kangaroos live and on what continent are they found?

The habitat of modern kangaroos covers Australia, New Guinea and nearby small islands. Feral populations of some species are found in Great Britain, Germany, Hawaii and New Zealand. Several kangaroos escaped from zoos in the United States and France and founded their own colonies. And yet, according to German geneticists, the homeland of the kangaroo is South America, and their story begins from there. These animals are not found in Africa, America and Antarctica.

So, kangaroos live:

• In Australia;
• In New Guinea;
• In Hawaii, the brush-tailed rock wallaby (lat. Petrogale penicillata);
• In England and Germany there is a red-gray wallaby (lat. Macropus rufogriseus);
• The brush-tailed rock kangaroo (lat. Petrogale penicillata), red-gray kangaroo (lat. Macropus rufogriseus), white-breasted wallaby (lat. Macropus parma) and kangaroo Eugenia (lat. Macropus eugenii);
• On the island of Kawau lives the white-breasted wallaby (lat. Macropus parma);
• The red-gray kangaroo (lat. Macropus rufogriseus) and Tasmanian philander (lat. Thylogale billardierii);
• On Kangaroo Island there are western gray kangaroos (lat. Macropus fuliginosus) and Tasmanian kangaroo (lat. Thylogale billardierii);
• The quokka (lat. Setonix brachyurus).

Representatives of the genus Macropus are found in various natural areas: from deserts to the outskirts of moist eucalyptus forests. Short-faced kangaroos are inhabitants of sparse forests, copses and grassy savannas. The distribution of representatives of the genera of bush, tree and forest kangaroos is limited to rain forests. Philanders also inhabit moist, dense forests, including eucalyptus. By the way, tree kangaroos are the only members of the family that live in trees. Hare and claw-tailed kangaroos live in deserts and semi-deserts, including bushland, savannas and sparse woodlands. Rock wallabies occupy territories that range from the desert zone of Central, Western and South Australia to tropical forests. They live among boulder rubble, rock outcrops and cliffs, where they hide during the day.

Kangaroo breeding

Some kangaroos breed seasonally, but most mate and give birth at any time of the year. On the day of estrus, the female may be accompanied by a string of passionate males, waging endless duels for the opportunity to leave offspring.

Kangaroos fight brutally, as if in a fight without rules. Leaning on their tails, they stand on their hind legs and, like wrestlers, clasp each other with their forelimbs. To win, you need to knock your opponent to the ground and beat him with his hind legs. Sometimes kangaroo fights end in severe injuries.

Males of many species of large kangaroos leave scent marks. They mark grass, bushes and trees with secretions from their throat glands. They leave the same “traces” on the female’s body during the courtship period, showing rivals that this is his chosen one. A specific secretion in males is also produced in the cloaca, which passes through the ducts into urine or feces.

Females of large kangaroos begin to reproduce at 2-3 years, when they grow to half the length of an adult animal, and remain reproductively active until 8-12 years. Male kangaroos reach sexual maturity soon after females, but in larger species they are not allowed to breed by adult males. The hierarchical position of kangaroos is determined by their overall size, and, consequently, age. In gray kangaroos, the dominant male in a given area can perform up to half of all matings in his area. But he can maintain his special status only for a year, and to achieve it he must live 8–10 years. Most males never mate at all, and very few reach the top of the hierarchy.

On average, the gestation period for kangaroos lasts 4 weeks. More often they give birth to only one cub, less often two, large red kangaroos (lat. Macropus rufus) bring up to 3 kangaroos. Kangaroos are mammals that do not have a placenta. Due to its absence, the embryos develop in the yolk sac of the female uterus, and kangaroo cubs are born underdeveloped and tiny, only 15-25 mm long and weighing from 0.36 - 0.4 grams (in quokkas and philanders) to 30 grams (in gray kangaroo). In fact, these are still embryos, similar to mucous lumps. They are so small that they can fit in a tablespoon. At birth, a baby kangaroo does not have formed eyes, hind limbs and tail. The birth of such small cubs does not require much effort from the female; she sits on the rump, extending her tail between her hind limbs, and licks the fur between the cloaca and the pouch. Kangaroos give birth very quickly.

This is what a newborn kangaroo looks like, having already crawled into the pouch and sucked on its mother’s nipple. Photo credit: Geoff Shaw, CC BY-SA 3.0

Using strong forelimbs, a newly born calf, without outside help, guided by the smell of milk, climbs up the mother’s fur into her pouch in an average of 3 minutes. There, a small kangaroo attaches itself to one of the 4 nipples and continues to develop for 150-320 days (depending on the species), remaining attached to it.

The newborn itself is not able to suck milk at first: it is fed by the mother, regulating the flow of fluid with the help of muscles. The special structure of the larynx helps the baby not to choke. If during this period the baby kangaroo accidentally breaks away from the nipple, it may die of starvation. The bag serves as a cuvette chamber in which its development is completed. It provides the newborn with the necessary temperature and humidity.

When a small kangaroo leaves the nipple, in many large species the mother allows him to leave the pouch for short walks, returning it back when moving. She forbids him to enter the pouch only before the birth of a new cub, but he continues to follow her and can stick his head into the pouch to suckle.

The amount of milk changes as the baby grows. The mother simultaneously feeds the baby kangaroo in the pouch and the previous one, but with different amounts of milk and from different nipples. This is possible due to the fact that skin secretion in each mammary gland is independently regulated by hormones.

A few days after giving birth, the female is ready to mate again. If she becomes pregnant, the embryo stops developing. This diapause lasts about a month until the baby in the pouch leaves it. Then the embryo continues its development.

Two days before the birth, the mother does not allow the previous kangaroo to climb into the pouch. The baby perceives this rebuff with difficulty, since he was previously taught to return at the first call. Meanwhile, the female kangaroo cleans and prepares her pocket for the next baby. During the dry season, the embryo remains in a state of diapause until the rainy season arrives.

Lifestyle of a kangaroo in the wild

Surely, everyone is familiar with the red Australian kangaroo that gallops through the desert areas of the mainland. But this is only one of 62 species of kangaroos. Desert-adapted herbivores, such as the red kangaroo, appeared 5-15 million years ago. Before this, Australia was covered with forests, and the ancestors of the representatives of this amazing family lived in trees.

Most kangaroos are solitary animals, with the exception of females with cubs who form a family. Brush-tailed kangaroos make shelters in burrows that they dig on their own, and settle there in small colonies. And yet these animals cannot be called truly social. Solitary kangaroo subfamily Macropodinae that do not use permanent shelters (mainly small species living in areas with dense vegetation) behave in the same way, but the union between the female and her last offspring can last many weeks after the cessation of milk feeding. Rock kangaroos take refuge during the day in crevices or piles of stones, forming colonies. At the same time, males try to prevent other suitors from entering the shelter of their females. In some species of rock kangaroos, males team up with one or more females, but they do not always feed together. Male tree kangaroos guard trees used by one or more females.

Large species of kangaroo live in herds. Some of them form groups of 50 or more individuals. Membership in such a group is free, and animals can leave and rejoin it repeatedly. Individuals of certain age categories usually tend to live nearby. The characteristics of a female’s socialization are determined by the stage of development of her kangaroo: females whose babies are ready to leave the pouch avoid meeting other females in the same position. Males move from one group to another more often than females and use larger habitat areas. They are not territorial and move widely, checking a large number of female individuals.

Large social kangaroos live in open areas and used to be attacked by land and aerial predators such as dingoes, wedge-tailed eagle or the now extinct marsupial wolf. Living in a group gives kangaroos the same benefits as many other social animals. Thus, dingoes have fewer opportunities to approach a large group, and kangaroos can spend more time feeding.

Kangaroo and man

Under favorable conditions, kangaroos reproduce very quickly, which greatly worries Australian farmers. In Australia, from 2 to 4 million large kangaroos and wallaroos are killed annually, as they are considered pests of pastures and crops. Shooting is licensed and regulated. When kangaroo country was settled by the first Europeans, these marsupial mammals were less numerous, and from 1850 to 1900 many scientists feared they might become extinct. Arrangement of pastures and watering places for sheep and cattle cattle together with the decrease in the number of dingoes led to the rise of kangaroos.

These animals were once the prey of the aborigines, who hunted mammals with spears and boomerangs. Small wallabies were driven out by fire or driven into prepared traps. In New Guinea they were pursued with bows and arrows, and now they are being killed with firearms. In many areas, hunting has reduced populations and pushed tree kangaroos and other restricted species to the brink of extinction. In most of Australia, outside rain or wet hardwood forests, the number of kangaroo species weighing less than 5–6 kg declined in the 19th century. On the mainland, some of these species have disappeared or have had their range greatly reduced, although they have managed to survive on the islands. The extinction was caused by habitat destruction and the importation of livestock and foxes. Foxes, introduced for sport hunting into the state of Victoria in 1860 - 1880, quickly spread throughout the sheep-raising areas, feeding mainly on introduced animals, but also began to use short-faced kangaroos and wallabies as prey. Only where foxes have now been eliminated are kangaroos at the peak of population development and have restored their numbers.