DESCRIPTIONS
The Kangaroo is a marsupial from
the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot").
In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from
this family, especially those of the genus Macropus: the red
kangaroo, antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo, and western
grey kangaroo. Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia. The Australian
government estimates that 34.3 million kangaroos lived within the commercial
harvest areas of Australia in 2011, up from 25.1 million one year
earlier. As with the terms "wallaroo" and "wallaby",
"kangaroo" refers to a polyphyletic grouping of species.
All three refer to members of the same taxonomic family, Macropodidae, and are
distinguished according to size. The largest species in the family are called
"kangaroos" and the smallest are generally called
"wallabies". The term "wallaroos" refers to species of an
intermediate size. There is also the tree-kangaroo, another genus of
macropod, which inhabits the tropical rainforests of New Guinea,
far northeastern Queensland and some of the islands in the
region.
Scientific
classification of Kangaroo are below :
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Macropus and Osphranter
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The kangaroo is a symbol of Australia and
appears on the Australian coat of arms and on some of
its currency and is used by some of Australia's well known
organisations, including Qantas and the Royal Australian Air
Force. The kangaroo is important to both Australian culture and
the national image, and consequently there are numerous popular culture references.
Wild kangaroos are shot for meat, leather hides, and to protect
grazing land. Although controversial, kangaroo meat has
perceived health benefits for human consumption compared with traditional meats
due to the low level of fat on kangaroos.
The word "kangaroo" derives from the Guugu
Yimithirr word gangurru, referring to grey
kangaroos. The name was first recorded as "kanguru" on 12 July
1770 in an entry in the diary of Sir Joseph Banks; this occurred at the
site of modern Cooktown, on the banks of the Endeavour River,
where HMS Endeavour under the command of
Lieutenant James Cook was beached for almost seven weeks to repair
damage sustained on the Great Barrier Reef. Cook first referred to
kangaroos in his diary entry of 4 August. Guugu Yimithirr is the language of
the people of the area.
A common myth about the kangaroo's English name is that
"kangaroo" was a Guugu Yimithirr phrase for "I don't understand you."According
to this legend, Cook and Banks were exploring the area when they happened upon
the animal. They asked a nearby local what the creatures were called. The local
responded "Kangaroo", meaning "I don't understand you",
which Cook took to be the name of the creature. This myth was debunked in the
1970s by linguist John B. Haviland in his research with the Guugu Yimithirr
people
Kangaroos are often colloquially referred to as
"roos". Male kangaroos are called bucks, boomers, jacks, or old
men; females are does, flyers, or jills, and the young ones are joeys.
The collective noun for kangaroos is a mob, troop, or court.
LIFE CYCLE
Kangaroo reproduction is similar to that
of opossums. The egg (still contained in the shell membrane, a few
micrometres thick, and with only a small quantity of yolk within it) descends
from the ovary into the uterus. There it is fertilised and
quickly develops into a neonate. Even in the largest kangaroo
(the red kangaroo) the neonate emerges after only 33 days. Usually, only
one young is born at a time. It is blind, hairless, and only a few centimetres
long; its hindlegs are mere stumps; it instead uses its more developed forelegs
to climb its way through the thick fur on its mother's abdomen into
the pouch, which takes about three to five minutes. Once in the pouch, it
fastens onto one of the four teats and starts to feed. Almost immediately, the
mother's sexual cycle starts again. Another egg descends into the uterus and
she becomes sexually receptive. Then, if she mates and a second egg is
fertilised, its development is temporarily halted. Meanwhile, the neonate in
the pouch grows rapidly. After about 190 days, the baby (joey) is sufficiently
large and developed to make its full emergence out of the pouch, after sticking
its head out for a few weeks until it eventually feels safe enough to fully
emerge. From then on, it spends increasing time in the outside world and
eventually, after about 235 days, it leaves the pouch for the last
time. The lifespan of kangaroos averages at six years in the
wild to in excess of 20 years in captivity, varying by species. Most
individuals, however, do not reach maturity in the wild.
UNIQUE
Kangaroos have large, powerful hind legs, large feet
adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Like
most marsupials, female kangaroos have a pouch called a
marsupium in which joeys complete postnatal development.
Kangaroos
have two strong hind legs, large soles designed to jump. The speeds of
Kangaroos are usually about 20-25 km / hour. But they can speed up to 70
km / hour. Kangaroo cycle life is about 9-18 years. Although sometimes there
are kangaroos that can survive up to 28 years.
Kangaroo also has a strong forelimb (biceps), beside
it is used for fighting, is also used to attract females.
Like all marsupials, kangaroos are born
extremely early; the equivalent of the seventh week of pregnancy for humans.
They travel from the birth canal as little more than an embryo by blindly
propelling through the mother’s fur to the safety of the pouch, where they will
spend several months developing before finally leaving to explore the world.
Kangaroos are the only large animal to use hopping as
their primary method of locomotion. Hopping is a fast and energy efficient
means of travelling which allows them to cover large distances in habitats
where there is little food and water available.
https://www.animalbliss.com/fun-facts-about-kangaroos/
Questions :
1. Why does baby kangaroo live in it mother's pouch?
2. How fast is kangaroo's hop ?
3. Is it endangered animal ? How many are they now?
4. Can we find Kangaroo in Indonesia's Zoo ?
5. What is the differences beetween The Eastern Grey Kangaroo and The Western Grey Kangaroo ?
Questions :
1. Why does baby kangaroo live in it mother's pouch?
2. How fast is kangaroo's hop ?
3. Is it endangered animal ? How many are they now?
4. Can we find Kangaroo in Indonesia's Zoo ?
5. What is the differences beetween The Eastern Grey Kangaroo and The Western Grey Kangaroo ?
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