KANGAROO
kangaroo, any of six large species of Australian marsupials noted for
hopping and bouncing on their hind legs. The term kangaroo, most
specifically used, refers to the eastern gray kangaroo, the western gray
kangaroo, and the red kangaroo, as well as to the antilopine kangaroo and
two species of wallaroo (see below). Less specifically, kangaroo refers to all
14 species in the genus Macropus, some of which are called wallabies. In its
broadest usage, kangaroo refers to any member of the family Macropodidae,
which comprises about 65 species, including tree kangaroos and
the quokka; rat kangaroos are classified into “sister” familes, Potoroidae and
Hypsiprymnodontidae. The Macropodidae are found
in Australia (including Tasmania and other offshore islands, such
as Kangaroo Island), New Guinea, and the islands east to the Bismarck
Archipelago. Several species have been introduced into New Zealand.
Form and function
Common features
With the exception of tree kangaroos (genus Dendrolagus), all members of
the kangaroo family (Macropodidae) rely on long, powerful hind legs and feet
for hopping and leaping, their predominant forms of locomotion. Their long
tails, thickened at the base, are used for balancing. This feature is most
obvious in the large kangaroos, which use the tail as a third leg when
standing still. Each long, narrow hind foot has four toes, the large fourth
toe bearing most of the animal’s weight. The second and third toes are
united and merely vestigial, a condition known as syndactyly. The short
forelimbs, having five unequal digits, are used almost like human arms, but
all digits of the “hand” are sharp-clawed, and the thumb is not opposable.
The head is relatively small; the ears are (in most macropodids) large and
rounded; and the mouth is small, with prominent lips. The pelage is generally
soft and woolly; in many species it is grizzled, and stripes may be present on
the head, back, or upper limbs. All macropodids are herbivorous and have a
chambered stomach that is functionally similar to those of such ruminants as
cattle and sheep. Ecologically, they occupy the niche filled elsewhere
by grazing and browsing animals (larger species tend to be grazers, smaller
ones browsers). Several smaller species have become extinct or are
gravely endangered, probably because of predation by introduced foxes.
The wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) is one of the macropodids’ few
natural predators.
Reproduction and development
Female kangaroo with joeyFemale kangaroo with joey in pouch.
In all species, the marsupium (or pouch) is well developed, opens forward,
and contains four teats. The young kangaroo (“joey”) is born at a very
immature stage, when it is only about 2 cm (1 inch) long and weighs less
than a gram (0.04 ounce). Immediately after birth, it uses its already clawed
and well-developed forelimbs to crawl up the mother’s body and enter the
pouch. The joey attaches its mouth to a teat, which then enlarges and holds
the young animal in place. After continuous attachment for several weeks,
the joey becomes more active and gradually spends more and more time
outside the pouch, which it leaves completely at 7 to 10 months of age.
Eastern gray kangaroo with joeyThe eastern gray kangaroo (Macropus
giganteus) is found mostly in the open forests of eastern Australia and
Tasmania.(more)
Female macropodids of many species enter into heat within a few days after
giving birth, mating and conception thus occurring while the previous
offspring is still in the pouch. After only one week’s development, the
microscopic embryo enters a dormant state, called diapause, that lasts until
the first joey begins to leave the pouch or until conditions are otherwise
favourable. The development of the second embryo then resumes and
proceeds to birth after a gestation period of about 30 days. Therefore, the
teats are for a while feeding young of very different developmental stages,
during which time different teats produce two different compositions of milk.
This is thought to be an adaptation for recovering population numbers
quickly after a drought, when breeding ceases and the diapause state is
prolonged. In the gray kangaroos, which live in wooded country with a more
predictable environment, this system does not exist; there is no diapause,
and the pouch is occupied by one young at a time.
