Kangaroos

Kangaroos are native to Australia alone - no other continent or island. Tree kangaroos can be found in New Guinea as well as in the far northern rainforests of Australia, but that is the only variety found anywhere else apart from Australia.

Kangaroos are found in a variety of habitats, depending on the species. Habitats include grasslands, mulga scrub, bushland and open plains - wherever there is food, and shade trees. Wallabies and wallaroos, other species within the kangaroo family, often live on rocky slopes and hillsides. Some members of the kangaroo family can be very small, and these smaller members dig burrows in desert and semi-arid areas, living on insects, larvae, fungi and plant roots. Larger kangaroos, such as the reds and greys, do not live in the desert (despite what some overseas websites report) because there is insufficient food there.

Kangaroos and wallabies are both herbivorous marsupials that are native to Australia. Differences include:

• kangaroos have large, strong hind legs and small forepaws, and they move by hopping on their hind legs; wombats walk close to the ground on four legs.
• kangaroos have a pouch in the front of their abdomen, with the opening at the top; wombats also have a pouch, but it faces backwards
• there are over 60 species of kangaroos, and just three species of wombats

All kangaroos are called "macropods", a word derived from the Latin word, Macropus, meaning "Long-footed".

Rufus is the Latin for "red". Red kangaroos have a reddish-brown tinge to their coats, quite different to the Grey kangaroos.

Kangaroos are uniquely adapted to life in Australia, 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 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.
• In hot weather, kangaroos use saliva to cool down, licking their forearms where there is little muscle tissue and blood veins run close to the surface. When the saliva evaporates from the fur, it cools down the kangaroo.

These adaptations are the same for most species of kangaroos, including Red Kangaroos, Grey Kangaroos, wallaroos and wallabies.

Kangaroos are mammals and they mate and give birth to their young just like any other mammal- the mother gives birth through the birth canal.

However kangaroo young (joeys) are born after only 31 days of gestation, and are only the size of a Lima bean. The joey climbs up the mother and into the mother's pouch, and remains sheltered there for up to 9 months. They feed on the teats in the pouch, and as they get older, they will exit the pouch and explore, returning for safety and food.

When the joey first enters the pouch, it by instinct puts its mouth on a teat which then enlarges to hold it in place and feed it.

Further information:

Female kangaroos have two vaginas, or what are called paired lateral vaginae. These are for the purpose of transporting the sperm to the womb, but there is a midline pseudovaginal canal for actually giving birth. Unlike most species of marsupial, male kangaroos do not have a bifurcated penis. Female kangaroos can often be in a state of almost permanent pregnancy, with an embryo "suspended" until the mother's body is ready to release it - whether that be when another joey is sufficiently weaned, or feeding conditions have improved.

The gestation period lasts 31-36 days. Baby kangaroos are the size of a jellybean when they are born. They are born blind and hairless. A baby kangaroo is born from the female's uterus and then climbs up the outer fur of the female and into the upward facing pouch where it attaches itself to a nipple until it becomes stronger. The mother kangaroo licks a path to the pouch to help guide the joey. Baby kangaroos live in their mother's pouch and feed by drinking milk. The teat swells in the joey's mouth, securing it in place so it cannot be accidentally dislodged. The joey will usually stay in the pouch for about 6-9 months.