What adaptations do wallabies have to help them survive?

Answer 1

The wallaby does not live in the desert climate. There is insufficient food and water for a wallaby to survive this type of climate. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of myth and misinformation about wallabies and kangaroos being desert animals. They are not. These animals need fresh vegetation and they also need to drink regularly.

Wallabies live in a variety of climates, from harsh, rocky hillsides, to temperate bushland and coastal heath.

Answer 2

• The mother wallaby spends most of her adult life pregnant, but in drought times, she has the ability to indefinitely "freeze" the development of the young embryo until food sources are replenished. This is the same with kangaroos, and is called embryonic diapause.
• The mother can also produce two different types of milk to suit the needs of two different aged joeys. She might have a more mature joey that spends less time in the pouch, while a very young embryo has attached itself to a teat. Each joey has different milk requirements - which the mother is able to supply.
• Wallabies have large, strong tendons in their hind legs which act as "springs". The springing motion requires less energy than running does, so wallabies are able to bound for longer distances than other mammals with the standard four legs can run. They have strong back legs and elongated hind feet for bounding.
• Wallabies are more active in the cooler hours of the early morning and the late afternoon. During the heat of the day they are more sedentary.
• Wallabies have the ability to hear very well: kangaroos can twitch their ears. around to determine the direction of specific sounds, much as a cat does
• They have long, strong tails for balancing.
• Wallabies are able to move their ears at a variety of angles to hear if there is any danger close to them.
• Rock wallabies have a stockier, sturdier build which enables them to leap agilely up and down rocky mountainsides. they also have rougher pads on their feet to help with grip.

Answer 3

It depends upon what you understand by the term "desert". Kangaroos do not live in sandy deserts. They can live in semi-arid areas, but there must be plentiful vegetation and a permanent water supply.

However: Kangaroos are uniquely adapted to life in a country that suffers frequent droughts.

• The mother kangaroo spends most of her adult life pregnant, but in drought times, she has the ability to indefinitely "freeze" the development of the young embryo until food sources are replenished.
• The mother can also produce two different types of milk to suit the needs of two different aged joeys. She might have a more mature joey that spends less time in the pouch, while a very young embryo has attached itself to a teat. Each joey has different milk requirements - which the mother is able to supply.
• Kangaroos are able to travel long distances at a high speed, expending very little energy. They are very energy-efficient, and this is linked directly to the physical action of bringing their hind legs up with each hop. Every hop literally refills the lungs.
• Kangaroos have large, strong tendons in their hind legs which act as "springs". The springing motion requires less energy than running does, so kangaroos are able to bound for longer distances than other mammals with the standard four legs can run. They have strong back legs and elongated hind feet for bounding.
• Kangaroos are more active in the cooler hours of the early morning and the late afternoon. During the heat of the day they are more sedentary, lying around quietly and chewing their cud.
• Kangaroos have the ability to hear very well: kangaroos can twitch their ears. around to determine the direction of specific sounds, much as a cat does.

Kangaroos are more likely to be found in grasslands and bushland, where the trees are not too close to each other. They also inhabit coastal areas, often swimming out to offshore islands.

Answer 4

The only wallabies that live in the Great Victoria Desert are Rock wallabies. Rock wallabies are short, stocky creatures with strong hind legs and shorter feet to allow them to leap up and down rocky hillsides in the Great Victoria Desert with speed and agility.

Answer 5

There is a misconception that the wallaroo of Australia has furry pads on its feet to help with rock climbing. This is not strictly true. The wallaroo has thickened, rough pads which are well adapted to rock climbing, but they are not furry.

Answer 6

Rock wallabies do not live in the desert. They are short, stocky creatures whose strong hind legs and shorter feet allow them agility to leap up and down rocky hillsides.