What are ten characteristics of kangaroos?

Answer 1

There are over 60 species of kangaroo, from the largest, the Red kangaroo, through many varieties of wallabies, and down to the smallest member of the kangaroo, the musky-rat kangaroo. Because there are so many varieties, their colour varies from reddish-brown to grey, some having darker extremities (feet, nose, tail), such as the wallaroo.

Kangaroos are known for their powerful legs, and all members of the kangaroo family share this characteristic of large, strong hind legs and short forelegs. The female kangaroo has a pouch for the joey (baby). She gives birth to a single undeveloped young which crawls up to the pouch to continue its final stages of development.

Kangaroos are well known for their jumping capabilities and use their long, powerful, muscular tails to help balance. Because they are constantly on the alert for predators, they have ears with acute sensitivity, which can twist in any direction.

Kangaroos are marsupials, and thus the female of the species has a pouch or marsupium on her abdomen, in which she carries and suckles the joey while it develops.

Answer 2

The characteristics that prove kangaroos are mammals are:

• A kangaroo is a warm-blooded vertebrate
• It breathes using lungs
• It has a covering of skin and hair/fur
• The kangaroo gives birth to live young which are fed on mothers' milk.

All warm-blooded animals that feed their young milk from mammary glands (breasts or teats) are included in the animal classification "Mammalia". The kangaroo has mammary glands concealed inside the pouch used to carry the young.

Answer 3

• Depending on the species of kangaroo, colour can range from grey to brown to red.
• 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 strong swimmers. Many parts of Australia are subject to seasonal flooding rains, but the kangaroo's body shape does not prohibit it from swimming. In fact, kangaroos have been observed swimming to offshore islands off the southern coast. This is the only time the kangaroo's hind legs move independently of each other.
• 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.
• The teeth of the kangaroo are continuously being worn down by the tough grasses they eat. Instead of continuously growing, once a kangaroo's front teeth are worn down completely, they fall out, and the back teeth move forwards to take the place of the worn front teeth. Kangaroos have four such pairs of chewing teeth.
• Kangaroos have the ability to hear very well: kangaroos can twitch their ears independently around to determine the direction of specific sounds, much as a cat does
• They have long, strong tails for balancing.

Answer 4

A kangaroo is a mammal because it dose not lay eggs.