answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

The young baby kangaroo (joey) is born in a very immature state, but moves into the mother's pouch and attaches to a nipple to continue it's development. A human baby is born in a more mature state.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

Kangaroos are marsupials, and all marsupials have a short gestation period.

The gestation period of marsupials is shorter than placental mammals of the same size because the young joeys, while in the uterus, have only a yolk-like placenta to sustain them for a short period of time. They are born, then make their way to the mother's teats, which are usually located within a pouch. There, they attach to a teat which swells in the joey's mouth and provides all the nutrition the joey needs to continue its development. The reason why these animals have such a short gestation period is because the pouch protects them, while the mothers' milk, supplied through the teat to which the joeys remain attached for several months, nurtures them much as the placenta does in placental mammals.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why do kangaroos have short gestation periods?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Why do kangaroos have a short gestational life?

Kangaroos have a short gestational life because they are marsupials. Most marsupials have a very short gestation because most of their development occurs in the pouch. Kangaroos have a gestation period of around a month, yet spend many months in the pouch where they are attached firmly to a teat.


What type of mammals have relatively short gestation periods?

Small ones.


What breeds of cattle have short gestation periods?

The following breeds have a short gestation period (note that not all breeds with short gestation periods will be listed here):AngusDexterGuernseyJerseyMeuse Rhine IsselRed AngusSpeckle ParkIt was originally believed that rate of maturity was correlated with rate of gestation. This is now not the case. Rate of maturity is simply carcass maturity, or the time when an animal starts to lay down fat, and has nothing to do with age of puberty nor gestation length.


What can you infer based on the preceding information about how marsupials differ from placental mammals?

Thier gestation periods are diffrent. Marsupials have a short gestation date while mammels are normally long.


Why do mice have a shorter gestation period than other mammals?

Smaller mammals have shorter gestation periods. If a mother mouse kept her young inside her uterus/placenta for too long, the young would become so big that the mother would die. Also, mice have very short lifespans due to their heavy predation and small size, so a female mouse needs to produce as many young as possible in her short life in order to keep the species from going extinct. A short gestation period increases fertility in that more litters can be produced in the same amout of time. Thus, mice have evolved very short gestation periods. Although a mouse's gestation period is only about 20 days, there are some mammals, such as certain opossums, whose gestation periods are even shorter.


What is the gestation period of a Jersey cow?

Limousin are selected to have long gestation periods, which is around 290 to 300 days (or more) in length.


Do kangaroos have short fur?

Yes, kangaroos have short, thick fur.


What is the gestation period of an Angus cow?

Angus cattle tend to have short gestation periods, ranging from 260 to 280 days in length. However, this can be the exception rather than the rule. Because Angus are so popular and wide-spread, it shouldn't come to a surprise that some strains may have average or slightly long gestation periods ranging from 280 to 290 days long.


Do placental mammals have short internal development?

No. Placental mammals tend to have longer gestation periods than marsupials, depending on the size of the animal.


What are the advantages of kangaroos having a longer gestation period?

Kangaroos do not have a longer gestation period, and to do so would be of no advantage anyway. Kangaroos are marsupials, and all marsupials are characterised by having a shorter gestation period than placental mammals of similar size. Most of the kangaroo Joel's development occurs in the mother's pouch, over a period of 8-12 months.


The gestation perod for all mammals is?

The gestation periods for mammals differs greatly. In general it appears to be very short in small mammals, (some shrews and mice are only a few days) while increasing in length as the mammal increases in size. Elephants, hippos, bears whales and other large mammals have gestation periods lasting 9 to 18 months.


What is the gestation period of a fairy?

Fairies don't give birth, so they don't have gestation periods.