Animals in Australia: The Kangaroo
Kangaroos
Kangaroos are marsupial animals. They are of the "Kingdom Animalia, class Mammalia, infraclass Marsupialia, Order Diprotodontia, Macropodidae family, genus Macropus, subgenus Macropus, and Osphranter" stock. Kangaroos has four species; Macropus antilopinus- antilopine Kangaroo, Macropus rufus- red Kangaroo, Macropus giganteus- eastern grey, Macropus fuliginosus-western grey kangaroo (Island, Kangaroo).
Population and Features
Kangaroo are mostly found in Australia, according to the data provided by the Australian government, they have an estimated population of about 34.3 million in the year 2011. Their features include; Large and powerful hind legs which they use for leaping. Their head is small and their tail large for balance. The female kangaroos can carry their young ones around conveniently, all thanks for their bad (pouch) known as marsupium which aids them in carrying their young ones during locomotion (DEMSTER, EDITH & PERRIN).
Habitat and Conservation
However, many smaller species are endangered because they are eaten by people. Their habitat keeps on changing from land clearing by humans for agricultural and pastoral use.
Diet and Trophic Level
They feed on leaves, grasses and young stems. They are grazers. This means that they are the primary consumers since they feed on the producers. In other words, they get their food from the plants. In the energy transfer pyramid, they are herbivores since they feed autotrophs/plants. They are fed on by the primary predators and secondary predators.
Locomotion, Reproduction, and Lifespan
Kangaroos use hopping as a means of locomotion. They leap at a speed of 20-25km/h with a maximum speed of 70 km/h. They live in groups of around ten in number to provide security. Their sexual activity consists of consort pairs. They have internal fertilization and exhibit sexual reproduction. Their gestation period is 31-36 days allowing their young ones to climb to the pouch and attach to the teat. The young one, commonly referred to joey usually stays in the bag for nine months before coming out of the pouch for small periods of time. A young one is fed by the mother kangaroo for 18 months. A Kangaroo's lifespan is six to twenty years depending on the species (Thurber, Irene & et al.).
Adaptation to Climate
A kangaroo is adapted to live in a dry, infertile and highly variable climate. Right from birth, a young one develops the forelimbs first to climb the pouch. Later, they form large hind limb for hoping away from predators. The males also are adapted in such a way that they do not produce sperms during dry seasons and only produce them when there is enough pasture (DEMPSTER, EDITH & PERRIN).
Conclusion
I chose a Kangaroo because it is a rare animal only found in Austria and therefore many people may not be knowledgeable about it. This means that it will be of great interest to study rather than animals like dogs, cats or any other pets which are all over the world. Many people have no information about their pouch, habitats, adaptation, reproduction, etc. and reading this article will give relevant information about a kangaroo.
Works cited
DEMPSTER, EDITH R., and MR PERRIN. "A preliminary description of body maintenance behaviour of four."
Island, Kangaroo. "CASE STUDY: Feral cat spray tunnel trials."
Thurber, Mary Irene, et al. "CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS VAR. GRUBII–ASSOCIATED RENAL AMYLOIDOSIS CAUSING PROTEIN-LOSING NEPHROPATHY IN A RED KANGAROO (MACROPUS RUFUS)." Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 48.3 (2017): 929-932
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