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Where do kangaroos live? Kangaroos are the best jumpers on the planet New Zealand kangaroos

How diverse the world is, how many amazing plants and animals live on our planet! And so a prominent representative nature, the kangaroo can safely be considered another of its miracles. Surely everyone knows in which country the kangaroo lives. Of course, in Australia. But many may have a question about where kangaroos live, besides Australia. And they also live in Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and Tasmania. In total there are more than fifty species of these animals. They all vary in size and weight. There are giant kangaroos: red and gray, there are kangaroo rats, wallabies - medium-sized individuals, and others.

Kangaroo: description of the animal

This animal is a marsupial. The growth of gigantic kangaroos is quite impressive. Males grow from one hundred to one hundred and seventy centimeters in height, and weigh from twenty to forty kilograms. Females are slightly smaller, their height is from seventy-five centimeters to one meter, their weight is from eighteen to twenty-two kilograms. The coat color ranges from light gray to reddish red. All kangaroos have a bare black nose and long ears. Thanks to such ears, the animal can pick up even the faintest sounds, which allows it to hear the approach of an enemy in time.

Kangaroos have very long hind legs and a tail, thanks to which the animal maintains balance while moving. And they move exclusively by jumping. Thanks to its powerful hind legs, the animal reaches speeds of up to 60 km/h when running, and up to 90 km/h when running away from a predator. But at this speed the animal can only run for a short time. Its front legs are short, with very long claws, with which they defend themselves from predators and dig holes in search of water. And thanks to their claws, males sort things out with each other.

The question arises: how long do kangaroos live? And they live for about eighteen years. They reach sexual maturity at about two years of age. Animals can mate throughout the year. The female's pregnancy lasts thirty-two days. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. He is born blind and without fur, and also absolutely tiny - two and a half centimeters. Immediately after birth, the cub crawls to its mother's pouch, where it remains for up to six months. Having reached the age of six months, the baby begins to take his first steps, but still returns to the pouch. There he lives for up to nine months. It should be noted that only females have a pouch. It has four nipples. The female simultaneously produces several types of milk for different ages your cub. The fact is that she, having still quite little cub, may be pregnant. And the bag can contain several cubs of different ages at once. The female kangaroo can regulate the size of her bag - making it larger or smaller. Joey is growing and therefore needs more space, but when the mother moves, the walls of the pouch are compressed so that the baby does not jump out.

Animal lifestyle. Where do kangaroos live in Australia?

Animals live in rocky areas of the continent. There they feel more secure. Kangaroos are social animals. The family consists of a male and several females. When the cub reaches sexual maturity, he leaves the family and creates his own. These animals feed exclusively plant foods. During drought, they can independently obtain water by digging deep (up to one meter deep) holes. They can also get the water they need from food. Animals lead night look life. It is at dusk that they go out to pastures to eat lush grass, and during the day they rest in the shade of trees, hiding from the scorching sun. If any animal hears the approach of an enemy, it immediately begins to loudly knock with its hind legs, warning its relatives of the danger. From time immemorial, on the continent where kangaroos live, there were no predators, and the animals felt absolutely safe.

But with the arrival of Europeans on the island, a threat loomed over the kangaroos. Some brought dogs went wild - they began to be called And now they have become the main enemies of the kangaroo. When attacked by a predator, the animal tries to lure it into the water and drown it. If there is no body of water nearby, then the kangaroo runs to the nearest tree, rests its back against it and delivers a crushing blow with its hind legs. And the paws are really strong. A kangaroo can easily jump over a three-meter fence. Where the kangaroo lives, others large predators No. But animals may be subject to another misfortune. Very dangerous for kangaroos are midges, which clog the eyes, causing severe inflammation. The animal may go blind!

Kangaroos trust people and are practically not afraid of them. Very often these animals can be found in the park or forest. If you go to where kangaroos live and you are lucky enough to meet them, then there is a high probability that the animal will even allow itself to be photographed.

History of the name of the animal

The animal received such an eccentric name - “kangaroo” - thanks to the discoverers of a continent unknown at that time. When the Europeans saw these amazing animals, they asked the aborigines: “Who is this?” For what local residents responded, “Ken Gu Ru,” which translates to “we don’t understand.” The sailors thought that this was the name of the animal. That’s how the name “kangaroo” stuck to him.

Kangaroo Island

Near Australia there is an island where kangaroos live. This territory has not yet been fully developed by humans, so animals feel very good here. Animal world presented in this area in its original form. The number of kangaroos on the island is very large.

Wallaby

Wallaby is a marsupial belonging to the Kangaroo family. It represents exact copy a gigantic kangaroo, only in a reduced form. These animals reach seventy centimeters in height and weigh up to twenty kilograms. There are up to fifteen species of this animal, some are on the verge of extinction - such as striped wallabies. From once upon a time numerous types there was almost nothing left. They are found only on two islands located off the west coast of Australia. There are mountain wallabies, and there are swamp wallabies. By appearance and they do not differ in habits - only in their habitat.

Where do wallabies live?

Mountain wallabies live in bushland and are found throughout Australia. Like their brothers, giant kangaroos lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. Eating lush grass, tree bark and young shoots. Swamp wallabies live on wet plains.

The amazing thing is that wallabies can be kept in quality pet. They are easily tamed. But to do this, you need to take an animal that has not yet been weaned off milk and feed it yourself from a bottle. Otherwise, the animal will be very difficult to tame.

Kangaroo rat

The second name of the animal is musk kangaroo. This animal is small in size. Its body reaches a length of forty centimeters, a third is the tail. It is covered with dark thick fur, on which red specks can be seen. The fur on the hind legs is dark brown, but the feet are completely bare. In appearance, the animals are very similar to ordinary kangaroos. The animals live in hard-to-reach thickets along river banks. These animals lead a daily lifestyle, lazily digging through plant waste in search of insects, earthworms and plant tubers. They also eat grass, tree bark and palm tree fruits. Females carry their young in a pouch.

Brush-tailed kangaroo

This marsupial is the size of a rabbit. His fur is quite long, top part- dark in color with black speckles, and the fur on the belly is dirty white. This species of kangaroo gets its name from the ridge of shaggy black hair on part of its tail. Its body length is sixty-seven centimeters, of which thirty-one is the tail. The animal digs holes in the ground, which it lines with grass and branches, creating a kind of nest. The brush-tailed kangaroo chooses a place for its bed in dense thickets herbs, so see it in wildlife very difficult. They lie in nests and come out to feed at night. The animals feed on grass and plant roots, which they very deftly dig out of the ground.

Australia, the country where kangaroos live, is an amazing place. And if you have the opportunity to visit this wonderful continent, go. At least to see the wonderful kangaroos with your own eyes.

Ecology

Basics:

Kangaroo – herbivores mammals who eat a huge amount of different greens, including grass, shoots, leaves of trees and shrubs. Most animals take moisture from food, so they can for a long time don't drink water at all.

Like cows, kangaroos have a stomach with several chambers, which allows them to digest food well. They regurgitate grass and leaves, chewing them repeatedly before finally swallowing them. Kangaroos also have special teeth: molars regularly fall out, and new ones grow in their place.

Kangaroos reach a length of 1 to 3 meters and can weigh from 18 to 100 kilograms, depending on the species. Eastern gray kangaroo - the heaviest among marsupials in the world, and big red kangaroo - the largest in size.

A kangaroo's hind legs and feet are much stronger and longer than its front legs. They have muscular long tails, very thick at the base, which allow you to maintain balance and direct movements during jumps.

If we talk about jumping, then the kangaroo is the only large animal that jumps while moving. Males can jump up to 3 meters in height and up to 9 meters in length, and during jumps reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.

Kangaroos are very social animals. They often live in groups - flocks, which consist of 10 to 100 individuals. Males engage in fights for dominant status.

If a kangaroo senses danger, it warns the entire flock with loud kicks of its legs on the ground. They can also make various sounds such as grunting, sneezing, hissing and clicking.

Kangaroos belong to the infraclass marsupials. These animals are distinguished by the fact that they give birth to their young underdeveloped, but they continue to develop in a special way. skin fold on the mother's belly - pouch.

A female kangaroo gives birth once a year after only a month of pregnancy. At birth, the baby reaches a size of 5 to 2.5 millimeters - from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a bee.

The tiny and blind cub immediately crawls into its mother's pouch, where it continues to develop for another 120 to 400 days. The grown cubs stick their snouts out of the pouch and begin exploring their surroundings several weeks before they leave the pouch.

Habitats:

The Kangaroo is native to Australia. They have adapted well to life in the most different conditions, they are often seen in public parks, gardens and even golf courses.

Red kangaroos live in dry and semi-desert areas, where they feed on scarce local greenery. Due to drought, the kangaroo population is declining because there is less food available.

The western gray kangaroo lives in forests, woodlands, bushland, grasslands of eastern Australia and on the island of Tasmania.

Antelope kangaroo lives in monsoon tropical woodlands in the northern part of the continent.

Security status: causing the lowest risk of extinction

The main kangaroo species are not at serious risk of extinction, but populations are declining due to development Agriculture, habitat loss, fires and hunting. Australian law protects the eastern and western gray kangaroos. They can be hunted with special permission for the purpose of obtaining skin and meat.

The Latin name for the kangaroo family is Macropodidae– means "big foot"

Word "kangaroo" It was first recorded by British traveler and explorer James Cook after hearing the name of the animal from local residents.

A female kangaroo can become pregnant immediately after giving birth to her baby. Younger brother or the sister also gets into the bag. Both cubs, the eldest and the youngest, feed different types milk that the mother produces.

The young do not leave the pouch until a certain age and have to defecate and urinate in the pouch. When they are small, there are no particular problems, but when they grow up, some of the secretions are absorbed. Females have to clean their pouches regularly.

Kangaroos have good hearing, and, like cats, they “prick up” their ears and pick up the quietest sounds.

Kangaroos cannot move backwards, but they are excellent swimmers.

The faster kangaroos jump, the less energy they expend.

One of the most recognizable and popular animals in Australia. Of course, his image is even present on the state emblem of the Green Continent! For every Australian, the kangaroo is a symbol of progress, non-stop movement forward, and all because this animal is purely physically unable to jump or back away.

Debunking the myth

Despite the fact that the kangaroo appeared before scientific world more than a hundred years ago and since then has been closely studied by biologists, this animal still remains a mystery to scientists. Even the name itself - kangaroo - puzzled everyone for a long time.

The most popular version of the origin of this name was the mythical story (precisely mythical) that “kangaroo” is translated from the local dialect as “I don’t understand.” Allegedly, this is how the aborigines answered the questions of the curious Captain Cook, who pointed his finger at a jumping marsupial animal unknown to Europeans.

Western gray kangaroo (female with grown calf in a pouch on her belly)

Now let’s say that they point a finger at something and say any (from your point of view) nonsense with a questioning intonation. You will probably guess what exactly interests your opponent - so let’s not consider the Australian aborigines stupider than ourselves, they probably understood everything.

So the version that sounds much more plausible is that “kangaroo” (kangaroo in one of the local dialects) actually translates as “big jumper” and the first to hear this word was not Captain Cook, but a completely different English navigator, William Dampier, about which and left corresponding notes. And if we adhere to the first version, then all the animals and plants of Australia would receive the name “kangaroo” from the Europeans.

Male red kangaroos are strong animals with muscular limbs, and their height can exceed human height and reach up to 2 meters. If aggressive, they can inflict fatal wounds on a person. The attack tactics are the same both when attacking people and when fighting with its own kind - standing on its tail, the kangaroo delivers powerful blows with its powerful hind legs. Gray kangaroos are no less aggressive, although they smaller in size(height up to 1.3 meters).

Another one interesting riddle- kangaroo's relationship to water. These animals, quite deliberately, drink very little. Even in extreme heat, if water is available, kangaroos stay away from sources and would rather strip the bark from trees and lick the juice than quench their thirst with water.

Some scientists explain this by saying that water reduces the nutritional value of already meager food, so kangaroos prefer not to dilute it in vain useful material in your body.

Happy quokka

There are quite a lot of different types of kangaroos - more than fifty, ranging from the smallest, kangaroo rats, to huge, red kangaroos, whose height can reach two meters.

Great rat kangaroo, or red kangaroo rat (Aepyprymnus rufescens)

We least of all associate kangaroo rats with the classic kangaroo. They are more like rabbits, and, accordingly, lead a rabbit’s life: they scurry around in the grass thickets in search of food, dig holes or settle in ready-made alien dwellings. It’s hard to call them kangaroos, but since zoologists have decided so, let’s not argue.

Quokkas look much more funny - tailless animals, but already similar to real kangaroos, although the resemblance to mice is still clearly visible in the appearance of quokkas.

Quokkas are perhaps one of the most defenseless species of kangaroos; they prefer to live in small areas more or less isolated from the outside world.

Who draws crop circles?

Those kangaroos that we are used to seeing in photographs, television screens and in zoos are actually called wallabies. Wallabies are medium-sized kangaroos and they are the ones most adapted to life in captivity. One of the subspecies - the rock wallaby - has interesting feature: the feet of its hind legs are covered with thick and very tough fur, allowing it to climb up rocks.

Brush-tailed rock wallaby (Petrogale penicillata)

Thanks to this fur, the rock wallaby is able to jump on wet and slippery stones, and, if necessary, on inclined tree branches. By the way, wallabies are involved in this mysterious phenomenon like crop circles.

According to the governor of the island of Tasmania, these animals have been seen more than once in areas where opium poppy is grown (exclusively for medicinal purposes). Having eaten poppy seeds, wallabies for some reason begin to jump in a circle, and thus “draw” those same mysterious circles.

Interestingly, female wallabies are capable of producing two types at the same time. breast milk. From one nipple the baby, which was born quite recently, feeds, and from the other, the more mature offspring, which has already left the pouch, but occasionally appears to feed. Milk for him contains a slightly different composition of nutrients.

White-breasted wallaby (Macropus parma)

And also a wallaby wild conditions can now be found not only in Australia, but also in England, Scotland, and France. For example, a group of about thirty wallabies lives literally 50 kilometers from Paris. These European colonies of Australian "aboriginals" appeared after one or more pairs of kangaroos escaped from zoos.

Over rocks and over trees

A species close to the wallaby, also of medium size, is the tree kangaroo. All the fingers of these animals have long, hooked claws, with the help of which they quickly climb trees, and sometimes even jump from branch to branch, not at all like decent kangaroos, but rather like monkeys.

Tree kangaroo (genus Dendrolagus)

Tree kangaroos descend to the ground with their tail down, so we can say that some species of kangaroo are still able to move backwards.

So, what about the big “real” kangaroos? Scientists count three types. The gray or forest kangaroo lives, as the name suggests, in forest areas; red, slightly larger - prefers flat places, and, finally, wallaroo - a sullen inhabitant of the mountains.

Mountain kangaroo or Wallaroo (Macropus robustus)

Unlike other types of kangaroos, which try to gallop away in case of danger, the wallaroo, especially if it is a seasoned male, is extremely pugnacious and likes to attack first. True, again, unlike other kangaroos, wallaroos only scratch and bite, and never use their hind legs in battle, and it is precisely the blow with the hind legs that is often fatal to the enemy.

Australians often keep kangaroos (small ones, of course) as pets. Usually these are kangaroos whose mother has died. For the baby, they sew a bag similar in size to a kangaroo's bag, hang it in a cozy place and place the kangaroo there along with a bottle of milk with a nipple on it.

After some time, the baby gets used to the bag and can climb into it and climb out on his own. The most common name for such a pet in Australia is Joey, which means “little kangaroo”.

Konstantin FEDOROV

There is probably no person who does not know that kangaroos live in Australia and that the kangaroo is considered a symbol of Australia.

It is not known exactly how many years the kangaroo has been living on the sunny continent, but Europeans learned about it not so long ago, in the middle of the 18th Century, when James Cook came to Australia.

This animal certainly attracted attention. Not only does the kangaroo look different from other animals, it has an unusual way of moving.

Description and lifestyle of a kangaroo

Kangaroos, like most animals in Australia, are marsupials. This means that the female kangaroo carries her cubs, which are born underdeveloped, in a pouch formed by folds of skin on the abdomen. But that's not all the differences Australian kangaroo from other animals, its peculiarity is its method of movement. Kangaroos move by jumping, much the same way as grasshoppers or the well-known jerboas do. But the grasshopper is an insect, and the jerboa is a small rodent, for them this is acceptable. But for a large animal to move, making jumps, and quite large ones at that, is not probable from the point of view of the expenditure of effort. After all, an adult kangaroo can jump up to 10 meters in length and almost 3 meters in height. What kind of force is needed to launch a body weighing up to 80 kg into flight? That's how much it weighs gigantic kangaroo. And in this unusual way, a kangaroo can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h or more. But it’s difficult for him to move backwards; his legs are simply not designed for this.

By the way, the origin of the name “kangaroo” itself is also still not clear. There is a version that the first travelers who came to Australia, when they saw this jumping monster, asked the locals: What is his name? To which one of them responded in his own language “I don’t understand,” but it sounded just like “gangurru,” and since then this word has stuck with them as their name. Another version says that the word “gangurru” in the language of one of the indigenous tribes of Australia means this animal. There is no reliable information about the origin of the name kangaroo.

Externally, the kangaroo looks unusual for a European. Its upright stance, strong, muscular hind legs and short, usually bent front legs give it something of a boxer-like appearance. By the way, in ordinary life these animals also show boxing skills. When fighting among themselves or defending themselves from enemies, they strike with their front paws, just like boxers do in a fight. True, quite often they also use their long hind legs. It's similar to Muay Thai. In order to deliver a particularly strong blow, the kangaroo sits on its tail.

But imagine the force of the back leg of this monster. With one blow he can easily kill. In addition, it has huge claws on its hind legs. Considering that Australia has the largest land predator This is a wild dog Dingo, which in size cannot be compared with a kangaroo, it becomes clear why the kangaroo has practically no enemies. Well, maybe only a crocodile, but where kangaroos usually live, there are almost no crocodiles. True, the real danger is posed by a python, which can eat something even larger, but this is of course rare, but nevertheless, here is a fact when a python ate a kangaroo.

Another feature of kangaroos is that they are marsupials, and as a result, raise their offspring in a rather unique way. The baby kangaroo is born very small, not fully developed and is unable to move or feed itself. But this is compensated by the fact that the female kangaroo has a pouch on her stomach formed by a fold of skin. It is in this pouch that the female places her tiny baby, and sometimes two, where they grow further, especially since the nipples through which he feeds are located there. All this time, one or two underdeveloped cubs spend in the mother’s pouch, tightly attached with their mouth to the nipples. The mother kangaroo masterfully controls the pouch using her muscles. For example, she can “lock” a cub in it at a time of danger. The presence of a baby in the bag does not bother the mother at all, and she can freely jump further. By the way, the milk that the baby kangaroo feeds changes its composition over time. While the baby is tiny, it contains special antibacterial components produced by the mother’s body. As he grows, they disappear.

After emerging from infancy, during which the diet consists of mother's milk, all kangaroos become vegetarians. They feed mainly on tree fruits and grass; some species, in addition to greens, eat insects or worms. They usually feed in dark time days, because of this kangaroos are called twilight animals. These mammals live in packs. They are very careful and do not come close to humans. However, there are cases when brutal kangaroos drowned animals and attacked people. This occurred during periods of famine, when the arid regions of Australia were converted to grass. Kangaroos endure the test of hunger very hard. During such periods, kangaroos make raids on farmland, and also often go to the outskirts of towns and villages in the hope of profiting from something, which they are quite successful.

Kangaroos have a fairly long life expectancy. On average they live 15 years, but there have been cases where some live up to 30 years.

In general, there are about 50 species of these animals. But there are several of them that are most common.

Species of kangaroo

Red kangaroo, living mainly in flat areas. This is the largest and most known species. Some individuals of them are up to 2 meters tall and weigh more than 80 kg.

Gray forest kangaroos, live in forest areas. These are somewhat smaller in size, but they are distinguished by great agility. The giant gray kangaroo, when necessary, can jump at speeds of up to 65 km/h. Previously, they were hunted for wool and meat, and only thanks to their agility they have survived to this day. But their population has noticeably decreased, so they are now under state protection. Now in national parks they feel safe and their numbers are increasing.

Mountain kangaroos - wallaroo, another species of kangaroo living in the mountainous regions of Australia. They are smaller in size than red and gray kangaroos, but more agile. They are more squat and their hind legs are not so long. But they have the ability to easily jump and move quite quickly along mountain steeps and rocks, no worse than mountain goats.

Tree kangaroos- wallabies, which can be found in numerous forests in Australia. In appearance, they bear little resemblance to their lowland brothers. They have well-developed claws, long tails have the ability to grasp, and they can move their hind legs independently of one another, which gives them the ability to climb trees perfectly. Therefore, they descend to the ground only in extreme cases.

Or in other words, the yellow-footed rock wallaby or the yellow-footed kangaroo, mammals from the kangaroo family. This type of kangaroo prefers to settle in rocky areas, avoiding other animals and humans.

Or, in other words, the red-bellied philander, a small marsupial from the kangaroo family. This small kangaroo lives only in Tasmania and big islands Bass Strait.

Or as it is sometimes called, the white-breasted wallaby is a species of dwarf kangaroo and lives in the New South Wales region and on the island of Kawau.

A mammal from the kangaroo family. This is a small species, otherwise called Eugenia philander, Derby kangaroo or tamnar, and lives in the southern regions of Eastern and Western Australia.

Short-tailed kangaroo or quokka - one of the most interesting species kangaroos The quokka is considered one and only of the genus Setonix. This small harmless animal is slightly more cat, somewhat reminiscent of a jerboa. Being a herbivore, it eats only plant foods. Like other kangaroos, it moves by jumping, although its small tail does not help it when moving.

Kangaroo rats, little brothers of the kangaroo family, live in the steppe and desert expanses of Australia. They look more like jerboas, but nevertheless they are real marsupial kangaroos, only in miniature. These are quite cute, but shy creatures that lead a nocturnal lifestyle. True, in flocks they can cause significant damage to crops, so quite often farmers hunt them to protect their crops.

Kangaroo and man

Kangaroos as such, of any kind, live quite freely. They move freely and quite often destroy crops and pastures. In this case, operations are usually carried out to reduce the number of herds. In addition, many large kangaroos are exterminated for their valuable fur and meat. The meat of these animals is considered healthier than beef or lamb.

The increase in the kangaroo population was the creation of kangaroo farms. Kangaroo meat is eaten not only in Australia, but throughout the world. This nutritious product has been supplied to Europe since 1994. This is what packaged kangaroo meat sold in supermarkets looks like

Research has proven that the manure of ruminant animals, such as sheep and cows in Australia, when decomposing, emits strong greenhouse gases - methane and nitric oxide. These gases contribute hundreds of times more strongly to the creation greenhouse effect how carbon dioxide, which was previously considered the main culprit of global warming.

Currently, the huge number of livestock raised in Australia means that methane and nitrogen oxide account for 11% of all greenhouse gas emissions from Australia. Kangaroos produce incomparably less methane. Therefore, if you breed kangaroos instead of sheep and cows, this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by a quarter. If, over the next six years, 36 million sheep and seven million cattle cattle replace 175 million kangaroos, this will not only maintain the current level of meat production, but also reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 3%.

Researchers say using kangaroos for meat production could be applied around the world and not only would it new way providing food to the world's population, but will also reduce the greenhouse effect and, as a result, reduce global warming. However, there are certain difficulties in this. A significant cultural restructuring and, of course, considerable investment are needed. One of the significant problems in solving this issue is that the kangaroo is national symbol country, it is depicted on the national emblem of Australia. Moreover, the defenders environment oppose such use of this animal.

Maybe some readers of my blog will be puzzled by this topic - they say, who doesn’t know where they live? Of course everyone knows that kangaroos live in Australia. But, not everything is so simple!!!

The point is that next to Australian mainland, there are islands - Tasmania, New Zealand and others. And it would be more correct to say whether kangaroos live in Tasmania and the islands of New Zealand?

And so let's talk about everything in order. Let's start with the fact that the entire kangaroo family is divided into three groups: small - Kangaroo rats, average - Walabi and large ones - Big red kangaroo or gigantic, Gray kangaroo or forest and Mountain kangaroo or wallaroo.

Kangaroos live in Australia and on the islands adjacent to the mainland:

Bismarck Archipelago

Western Guinea

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

Tasmania

Kangaroo Island

However, depending on the species, their habitat differs significantly from each other.