There is a curious myth. The celebrated James Cook, the discoverer of Australia, the English navigator, sailed for the first time on a ship called Endeavor to the east coast of the continent, then still new to everyone, and enthusiastically discovered many previously unknown vegetation and unusual fauna representatives there. Strange enough in appearance, however, the original animal that first caught his eye was a creature that quickly moved on its hind legs and deftly repelled them from the ground.
Who is the kangaroo? In the article, we will consider the characteristics, species, habitat and features of the animal, as well as present some bright photos.
The first information about the kangaroo
It is not surprising that James, the discoverer of the continent, wondered what exactly was called the jumping outlandish creature, which to many of his people seemed like a kind of overseas monster. After a while, the navigator received an answer to the question tormenting him from a native: Gangurru. Legend has it that Cook therefore decided that it is customary to call these animals, despite the fact that the savage gave him only information about the kangaroo, which the discoverer of the continent did not understand.
Since then, the name was assigned to this outlandish (primarily for Europeans) representative of the fauna world. It is worth noting that somewhat later linguists showed a doubtful attitude to the truth of the presented historical myth. However, this does not mean that the animal itself was not interesting for them, and the story about it was not pure truth.
Where can I find the image of an animal?
Kangaroo is a mammal, the image of which is now placed on the national emblem of Australia. It is a symbol and personification of the continent, once discovered by Cook. A kangaroo is an unusual and somewhat fantastic creature. This is a marsupial animal, which belongs to the category of mammals. That is why, like all relatives of the named class, the kangaroo produces living descendants. However, the birth of cubs is carried out at unusually early dates. So, before the final formation, the animals carry them in bags.
Bag is convenient
A kangaroo is a mammal whose main feature is the presence of a bag used for specific purposes. It is a convenient skin pocket located on the belly of this creature. It is worth noting that marsupials can only be found on the Australian and American continents. Moreover, on the lands of the first they dwells the most. This continent, once discovered by Cook, is famous for a significant number of endemic species, in other words, specimens of fauna that are found exclusively in those parts. The representative of the animal kingdom that we are studying is considered one of them.
Other marsupials
Kangaroos are not the only marsupial mammal to be found on the Australian continent. A vivid example of another is the wombat, a furry animal that spends its entire life underground. A koala is another kangaroo-like animal in terms of having a skin pocket on its stomach. It should be noted that in Australia today there are about 180 species of marsupials.
Animal movement method
A kangaroo is a mammal that moves by jumping. A very remarkable part of his body is the incredibly powerful and muscular hind legs with extremely developed muscles in the thighs, as well as four-toed feet. It is they who allow this outlandish animal through blows to give a reliable rebuff to all kinds of offenders and, of course, move with impressive speed on only two legs. It should be noted that in this case, as the rudder, which helps to balance and correct the trajectory of movement, the studied animal uses its long tail, which is a curious fact, especially for the smallest.
All about kangaroos for children: structural features of the body
The upper body of the kangaroo seems underdeveloped when compared with the lower. The head of the animal is small; the muzzle is often shortened, and sometimes long, it all depends on the variety of the mammal; the shoulders are narrow anyway. A kangaroo is a rodent with short forepaws not covered in hair. It is worth noting that they are quite weak. The paws of the animal are equipped with five fingers, which end with sharp, long claws. They are mobile and developed, thanks to which the creatures are able to easily grab the objects surrounding them, hold food and even comb their hair with their help.
A kangaroo is a predator whose fur is thick and soft. It can be gray, black or red. However, various variations of shades are acceptable. Interestingly, a kangaroo can kill a person with its powerful legs. Its claws allow the gutting of not very large animals.
Kangaroo Species: Common Features
You need to know that the studied animal is often referred to representatives of the family called kangaroo. However, often this word is used in the meaning of the largest species of the specified family (we will analyze them further). Small kangaroos are called differently.
In fact, the size of the members of the mammalian species varies quite significantly. There are kangaroos, the sizes of which do not exceed 25 cm. Their size can be 1.5 m or more. The largest are large red kangaroos. Weight record holders are members of the gray forest species. It is interesting to know that among the named individuals are noted whose weight reaches 100 kg. These mammals are Australian endemic. Nevertheless, they can be found on the islands adjacent to the mainland: in New Guinea, Tasmania and so on. The main features of their appearance can be seen in the photo.
In the kangaroo family, 14 genera are known today. Some of them are represented extremely extensively, others - less. In any case, the number of species in the general calculation is significant. It is advisable to describe in more detail the main ones.
Big red kangaroo
We start the study with the animal, which is the largest in terms of size of individuals. The origin of the kangaroo species is gigantic. It should be noted that individual mammals reach an average weight of 85 kg. They have almost a meter long tail. Such representatives of the fauna are found either in the northern part of the continent - in the tropics, or along the east coast, as a rule, in the south of the mainland. Often kangaroos populate fertile areas of the named area. Moving on their hind legs, they can overcome tens of kilometers in an hour. Ginger animals have a wide muzzle, and ears are long and pointed.
Gray Oriental Kangaroo
This species of mammals is very numerous, and the population of its individuals totals up to 2 million. It is worth noting that the members of the presented species, which in terms of size occupy the second position after the brethren described above, are perceived as closest to the person by habitat, as they prefer to live in densely populated areas of Australia. They can be found in the east and south of the continent.
Wallaby
Wallaby - small kangaroos that form a separate group of species. They have a height of not more than 70 cm, however, this applies to very large individuals. The mass of some of them can reach as little as 7 kg. Nevertheless, such animals jump in a masterful way, despite their insignificant sizes. Champions from the human race in some cases could envy them. It is interesting to know that the length of the jump of a mammal of the type represented can reach 10 meters. There is a view in the steppes, in the mountains and in the swamps of both directly mainland Australia and nearby islands.
Kangaroo rat
This species is similar to rabbits. An interesting comparison, but true. By the way, such creatures develop quite appropriate activity. They live in grassy thickets, seek out and build their own homes there.
Quokki
Quokki are babies whose weight is only 4 kg. Their size does not exceed the cat's. Quokki are defenseless creatures that resemble the kangaroos of other species, but more like mice.
Habitat and Kangaroo Lifestyle
A kangaroo can be made a symbol of perpetual motion. The fact is that these mammals are able to jump to a height that exceeds their own height by about two times. This is far from the limit. In addition, the animals of most species are not at all harmless. They are quite deftly fighting, especially when it comes to the largest of them. It is curious that, striking with the help of the hind legs, in order to avoid falling, they rest on their own tail.
As it turned out, there are many species of kangaroos. Each of them inhabits certain corners of the Green Continent. Most of all animals like shrouds and pastures. Kangaroos settle on flat areas, as they like to frolic in thickets of bushes and grass. Mammals adapt perfectly to life in the swamps, as well as in the mountains among the many-sided stones, hills and rocks.
In Australia, you can often find kangaroos near settlements. Not surprisingly, their presence on farmland or on the outskirts of urban settlements. Most mammals are inherently adapted to move around the land, however, there are exceptions. We are talking about wood kangaroos that live in the forests of the tropics. Such animals spend most of their lives in trees.
Kangaroo numbers
The population of these mammals is numerous, with no noticeable reductions in recent years. Nevertheless, despite favorable statistics, a sufficient number of individuals die every year. The main culprit is forest fires. A fairly serious reason for the decrease in the number of animals is human activity. Naturally, this is primarily a question of hunting interesting representatives of the fauna. Although it is forbidden to kill these mammals and harm them in accordance with Australian law, such regulations are often violated, usually by farmers. This is done for our own benefit.
Conclusion
So, we examined the description and interesting facts about the kangaroo. The main types of mammals, the habitat, and the features of their behavior were fully understood. Unfortunately, today lovers of delicacies and poachers actively shoot these animals for the sake of an incomparable taste of meat. Natural enemies of these representatives of the fauna are foxes, dingoes, large birds and snakes.
Conducting a conversation about the life expectancy of animals, one way or another it is necessary to clarify which of the varieties of kangaroo in question. The fact is that the representatives of each of them have an individual physiological program. Among the long-lived record holders, it is worth noting the red big kangaroos, which even in captivity can last up to 27 years. Other species live less, especially in the wild. Their life span is about 10 years, however, it can be significantly reduced due to illness or accident.