The red kangaroo lives almost all over Australia. It has a 3-meter body length (of which, about 90 cm is the length of the tail), and weighs up to 90 kg. females fewer males and their weight is 30 kg. The animal has a powerful body, strong muscular hind legs, a strong and thickened tail. Thin, but very grasping forelegs, which are much shorter than the hind limbs.

There are five fingers on the front, four on the back with very sharp long claws. The head is small and elongated towards the nose, with attentive eyes, with large and all-clear ears. The color is brown-red or smoky blue, the paws and tail are almost white, and the belly is lighter than the main tone.

They eat plant foods: grass, leaves, fruits and grains. They have adapted well to drought conditions and can go many days without water.To escape from the wild heat, kangaroos often breathe with their mouths open and try to move less.

They lick their paws, which also cool the body. It was noticed by observers that during a long drought, they dig small holes in the sand, where they hide from the scorching sun. During the day they hide in the shade and doze, and at dusk they go out to pastures.

The red kangaroo is a cautious and shy animal. In case of danger, it runs away, developing a speed of up to 50 km / h. But he cannot withstand a high pace for a long time, he quickly gets tired. He jumps 10 meters in length, and maybe go for a record - 12 meters.

They live in herds, numbering 100 or more animals. Of course, the male is at the head and he has several females, the rest are children. If an individual appears on the horizon, then a fight arises between two males for the right to possess a harem.

Fights are fierce and terrible: pushing off with a powerful tail and hind legs, the male lunges with his hind legs at an opponent, and we already know that there are sharp claws there. They also fight with the so-called fist fight. The strongest male wins, and the life of the herd continues. Females have a pouch for bearing offspring. The males do not have a bag.

The female can bring offspring without interruption. The first cub has matured and is already running around, the second is sitting in a bag, and the third is in the uterus. Pregnancy lasts about a month. As a rule, one, less often two or three cubs are born. If there are two or three of them, then the one who first got to the mother's nipple survives. The life of the rest is unlikely.

It has a pouch on its belly for bearing offspring. A strong muscle around the entrance of the bag prevents the baby from falling out. Mom manages her bag herself and clearly knows when to open it and when to close it.A born embryo weighs about 5 grams and is only 25 mm long. The female, 2 hours before giving birth, carefully got out her bag, preparing a clean place for the cub to grow and exist.

A born baby has the rudiments of hind legs and a tail, eyes are closed, there are no ears. Only the front legs with sharp tiny claws and the nose, or rather his nostrils, are developed, by smell he will get into the mother's bag along her stomach. Hard way to be a baby.

The cub crawls slowly, clinging to the mother's fur with its paws, and looks more like a caterpillar or a worm. The whole journey will take about five minutes. When he reaches his destination, he will be rewarded. The cub immediately finds one of the mother's nipple of four and grabs it. He himself does not know how to eat, mother supplies milk herself, by contracting muscles. A naked, blind cub overcomes the first difficult path immediately after birth for the sake of life.

In the mother's bag, the baby is warm and well. Thanks to nutritious fat milk, it grows quickly. Soon the eyes will open, the ears will form. At the age of five months, a cute and very curious muzzle of a kangaroo protrudes from the mother's bag. He's got a little hairy already. His grown ears move and catch the sounds of nature.

A month later, he makes the first forays out of the "home", of course, with the permission of his mother. The cub is strong and weighs 3.5 kg. He carefully looks around, jumps, tries to eat grass, and his mother watches him. A little danger - immediately in the bag. And now he has already grown well and got stronger, it’s a bit crowded in his bag. At this time, the female may have another cub, and the older one leaves the cozy shelter. True, he is not given his mother's attention and will be with her for a long time.

The large red, or gigantic red, kangaroo is the largest representative of the order of modern marsupial mammals. Animals live throughout Australia, except for the western regions, some areas in the south of the continent, east coast and small area rainforest in the north.

Only forward!

Kangaroos are the only large animals that move by jumping. Moreover, when moving on the ground, they use both hind legs at the same time, and while swimming - in turn. The animal does not know how to move backwards at all. This is probably why the kangaroo is depicted on the coat of arms of the state under the motto "Australia always goes only forward!".

Kangaroos cannot be called notorious fighters, however, if it comes to a serious fight, then the fight begins with threatening poses, and ends with powerful blows of the hind legs to the stomach. At the same time, they skillfully use their powerful tail - it acts as an additional support during the adoption of a vertical stance. A long tail and powerful hind legs allow the kangaroo to jump two or three meters of hedges, and in case of danger, reach speeds of 45 to 55 km / h, sometimes up to 65 km / h.

Fitting Skills

Kangaroos live in small groups and lead a predominantly twilight lifestyle. Being herbivores, animals prefer savannas with dense vegetation. In case of a shortage of succulent grasses, they switch to other foods (tree bark, dry and hard grass, worms and insects). Kangaroos calmly survive a severe drought, as they can do without water for several days.

Kangaroos are very well adapted to the surrounding reality. To communicate with each other, animals use a number of different sounds: hissing, sneezing, clicking, etc.

Caring for offspring

Kangaroo cubs are born prematurely (weighing no more than 1 g and 2 cm long) and for quite a long time grow and develop in the mother's pouch. Having been born, the cub immediately crawls into the mother's bag and sticks to one of the four nipples. Each nipple produces its own type of milk, which depends on the age of the kangaroo. Moreover, if there are children different ages A mother can have two kinds of milk at the same time. The baby finally leaves the bag, only reaching the age of 8 months. Very often, at the moment of danger, the kangaroo takes the cub out of the bag, hides it in a secluded place and takes the predator away from its offspring. Having run away from the chase, mom returns to the kangaroo and puts it back in the bag.

albino kangaroos

The appearance of albinos is the result of a genetic mutation. IN wild nature such animals have to face certain difficulties due to the unusual color, and they rarely survive. A small number of individuals can be found in various zoos.

You should know it

  • International scientific name: macropus rufus.
  • Guard status: causing the least concern.
  • Characteristic: The kangaroo differs from most animals: its hind limbs and tail are disproportionately more massive and more powerful than the front ones. The small head, narrow shoulders and short forelegs indicate poor upper body development. The mass of adult males reaches 80 kg, and the body length reaches 1.4 m; females are somewhat smaller.
  • This is interesting: in the wild, kangaroos have an average lifespan of 6 years, while in captivity, some individuals can live 25 years or more.

Red kangaroo animal - the largest marsupial mammal on the planet.

Due to its large stature and incredibly strong hind legs, it is the undisputed animal champion in the long jump.

Kangaroo is an unofficial symbol of Australia - it is even depicted on the coat of arms of this state.

Appearance

The body size of an adult male is one and a half meters, not counting the tail, the length of which reaches another one meter. The animal weighs 80 - 85 kilograms. The fur is short and thick, brown-red.

Powerful hind legs and large heavy tail allow the kangaroo to jump superbly. In case of danger, in one jump, he can cover a distance of up to 12 meters in length and up to 3 meters in height. If it is necessary to fight back, the animal suddenly leans on its own tail, and with its liberated hind legs it painfully beats the enemy.

The front clawed feet are excellently adapted for digging up edible roots. Females have a convenient bag - a deep fold of skin on the abdomen, in which the mother bears the kangaroo.

Habitat

The only continent inhabited by kangaroos is Australia. Animals are accustomed to arid conditions in the steppes and semi-deserts, so they can do without water for a long time. During a long drought, they dig wells and extract water from them. These wells are then used by pink cockatoos, marsupial martens, emus and other steppe inhabitants.

Lifestyle

Kangaroos forage at night and rest in burrows or grass nests during the day. They live in groups of 10 - 12 individuals. A male is at the head of a small herd, he has several females and small cubs. The leader is very jealous - he strictly ensures that other males do not enter his territory. Otherwise, the case ends in a serious duel.

During the sweltering heat, they try to move less, breathe often, open their mouths wide and lick their paws. If there is no way to hide in the shade from the scorching sun, they dig shallow holes in the sand.

Kangaroo animal feed on plant foods. In addition to steppe grass, they are very fond of finding cereals, roots and tubers in pastures and homesteads, which cause significant harm to Australian farmers.

Enemies

In the wild, the red kangaroo has few enemies: dingoes, foxes and. If necessary, the marsupial can perfectly stand up for itself, using fighting techniques with the help of its hind legs. They successfully flee, reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.

The main enemy of the kangaroo is man. Farmers and ranchers different ways fight with annoying animals eating pastures. The Australian red kangaroo is of great interest to hunters - its dietary meat is rich in proteins and contains only 2% fat. Skins are used to make clothes, shoes and other products.

reproduction

Kangaroo pregnancy does not last very long - from one to one and a half months. A tiny and completely helpless cub is born, only 3 centimeters in size. He immediately fits into the bag and spends the next two and a half months there, feeding on his mother's milk.


The voice of a baby kangaroo

Having got a little stronger, the kangaroo begins to make short sorties, instantly jumping back at the slightest danger. Usually he hides in a bag for up to 8 months or just warms himself in it. After that, the cub begins to gradually gain independence. The life expectancy of a kangaroo is about 20 years.

  1. The history of the word "kangaroo" is associated with a fascinating legend. James Cook, for the first time being on a new continent and noticing an unusual animal, asked local resident, what is it called. The aborigine replied: "Ken-gu-ru", that is, "I don't understand you", and Cook decided that this was the name of an exotic beast.
  2. The principle of carrying a cub in a bag on the stomach formed the basis of modern baby carriers, which are called kangaroo backpacks.

  • KEY FACTS
  • Habitat: remote corners of the Australian bush.
  • Body length:
    males - 1.3-1.6 m
    females - 85 cm-1.05 m
  • Tail length:
    males - 1-1.2 m
    females - 65-85 cm
  • Weight:
    males on average 55 kg (sometimes up to 90 kg)
    females on average 30 kg

Unusually strong hind legs carry the red kangaroo across the savannah in huge leaps, and the long and thick tail serves as a balancer for the beast.

The red kangaroo - the largest representative of the marsupial order on the planet - adorns the coat of arms of his native Australia.

In addition to Australia, kangaroos and their close relatives wallabies are found only on the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. These harmless vegetarians occupy the same ecological niche as large ungulates - antelope, buffalo and deer - in other parts of the world. The appearance of the kangaroo is so peculiar that it cannot be confused with anyone - long and extremely strong hind limbs, short front legs and a long muscular tail narrowed at the end. It serves as an additional support for a sitting kangaroo, and on the run it performs the functions of a rudder and balancer. Two large fingers of the four-fingered hind legs of the animal are armed with long claws, and two smaller fingers are armed with short claws for grooming.

Bizarre Appearance

The center of gravity of the kangaroo body is shifted downwards due to the hind limbs reinforced with massive muscles.

The largest among the marsupials are red kangaroos - in their native savannah in the west of New South Wales (Australia).

Above the pelvis, the body gradually narrows, and a disproportionately small and narrow head with a blunt muzzle and long, slightly rounded ears is planted on the shoulders. The short, dense fur of the red kangaroo is reddish-brown in males and bluish-gray in females; on the legs and belly, the coat is light. IN different places habitats, males and females seem to change clothes, and ladies flaunt in reddish fur coats.

The male is usually twice the size of his mate. The length of his body rarely exceeds 1.7 m, but rising to his full height on his hind legs, the enraged beast turns into a two-meter giant.

Different types of kangaroos are inherent different forms social behavior. Red kangaroos usually live in groups of up to 10 individuals, which, however, form only on a short time without establishing any strong links between individual animals.

Male kangaroos often fight for the female, grappling with their front paws and pushing with their hind legs.

The favorite habitat of kangaroos is dry savannahs, although at the same time they invariably stay close to islands of dense vegetation, where you can hide from the heat and enemies. Leading a nocturnal lifestyle, they often graze in cool weather even in daylight.

If there is plenty of food, a herd of kangaroos usually occupies a small home area, however, in drought, animals make long-distance migrations in search of pastures. Kangaroos are not chased away from their territory, but this does not mean that outbursts of aggressiveness cannot be expected from them. Males, for example, fiercely fight with each other for the right to possess females. Starting a duel, they rise to their full height and, grappling with their front paws, exchange powerful blows from their hind legs to knock the enemy to the ground.

Nutrition

The red kangaroo is well adapted to a purely vegetarian diet. In his stomach there are several folded bags that increase the surface of its inner walls, and the rich microflora breaks down and helps the body absorb plant fiber.

Kangaroos go out to graze shortly before evening twilight and continue feeding until dawn. A grazing kangaroo slowly moves from place to place, nibbling grass and leaning on a thick tail. Nature endowed him with extremely acute hearing, and, barely hearing a suspicious rustle, he rushes to his heels, making giant (9-10 m) jumps and developing speeds of up to 50 km / h.

Red kangaroos do not have a pronounced mating season, but the appearance of offspring in them is usually timed to coincide with the abundant food season. Almost any greenery is suitable for them, therefore, with favorable weather conditions they actively mate, and during the period of drought they do not breed at all.

The main feature of all marsupials is the absence of a placenta. Climbing into the mother's pouch, the red kangaroo cub attaches to the nipple and does not show its nose from there for up to 3 months, and then for another 5 months it is limited only to short sorties.

After a 33-day pregnancy, the female gives birth to a tiny underdeveloped cub weighing 0.75 g. As soon as it is born, the baby crawls into the bag, where it tightly covers the nipple with its mouth. Despite the striking resemblance to the embryo, the cub has a well-developed tongue, nostrils, forelimbs and fingers, helping to cling to the mother's fur and stimulating milk production.

In its composition, kangaroo milk is similar to the milk of those animals that feed offspring during the period hibernation- for example, with a bear. However, its consistency is quite liquid - much thinner than that of animals that feed their young once or twice a day.

As a rule, the female gives birth to only one cub (cases of twins are extremely rare). Up to three months, the baby sits without getting out in the mother's pouch and during this time manages to turn into a well-developed kangaroo. Subsequently, the bag serves him as a temporary apartment and refuge, and by eight months he leaves her forever, although up to a year he can still be supported by mother's milk from time to time. Puberty in females it occurs at the age of 15-20 months, and in males - a few months later.

At eight months, the cub leaves the pouch, making room for a new embryo.

Under favorable conditions, females mate as early as two days after giving birth, but the development of a fertilized egg begins when the previous cub leaves the pouch. The next births occur a day or two after the final weaning of the eldest offspring.

Security

Mastering the wild savannahs, man invaded the traditional ancestral home of kangaroos, and the breeding of livestock inevitably led to a reduction in their numbers. At first, all these changes did not particularly affect the red kangaroos, who not only did not claim sheep pastures, but also grazed safely on the grass eaten by sheep. However, their rapid reproduction made them serious competitors for livestock, and farmers began to exterminate unwanted neighbors, while also receiving a considerable income from the sale of skins and furs. In some areas of Australia, red kangaroos are protected by law, and only exorbitant populations are commercially hunted.
  • Australia is an unusual continent inhabited by amazing animals.
  • Among them is a red kangaroo, which has become a symbol of the country and bears the stamp of ancient eras in the development of the Earth.
  • Millions of years ago, when our Earth was inhabited by giant dinosaurs, the first mammals appeared.
  • They hatched their young by laying eggs, like the platypus and echidna, or carried them in a pouch, like the kangaroo. Gradually, the lizards began to disappear, followed by marsupials and oviparous, but in Australia, due to its isolation and remoteness from the whole world, all these living antiquities have survived to this day!
  • The red kangaroo is the largest animal of all.
  • The height of the male sitting on the tail reaches one and a half meters, the total length with the tail is 2.5 meters, and the weight is up to 80 kg. Females are three times smaller, much more graceful and painted more modestly - in grayish tones.
  • In addition to huge lever-like legs and small underdeveloped "handles", heavy and long tails are striking, which play a special role in the life of red kangaroos.
  • They sit on them, they are repelled during fights, and, finally, this is a cool balancer while running-flying over the plain, rhythmically swinging up and down.
  • These animals develop speeds up to 45 km. per hour, making jumps up to 13 m in length and 3.5 m in height. Outside the run, they are clumsy and inactive creatures, and while running, they are the shadow of a bird flying above the ground.

  • The red kangaroo wears a coat of thick fur with an undercoat, which allows him to live in cold climates.
  • Having remained out of competition in distant Australia, marsupials occupied all ecological niches here. Before dawn, when the sky in the east begins to brighten, herds of red kangaroos get out to pasture. They devote a lot of time to feeding (up to 10 hours a day), preferring the early morning and the time after the decline of the midday heat.
  • The main diet is made up of steppe and meadow grasses, among which they seek out the most beloved - cereals and legumes richest in sugars and proteins.
  • The stems and leaves of the kangaroo are bitten with three incisors of the upper and lower jaws, chewed thoroughly, after which the food enters the stomach.

  • The heat is avoided but not feared by kangaroos, and the fawn color reflects well sunlight. In case of overheating, they begin to breathe heavily, carefully lick their chest, front and hind legs, which helps to evaporate moisture and cool the body.
  • Like real ones, they do not need a constant watering place and can do without it altogether. Moisture is obtained from plants, and their kidneys are able to suck water out of their own urine, easily processing it.
  • In the rainy season, when the pastures are fragrant with green flowering herbs, the red kangaroo tries to isolate himself with his harem, after which the mating season. If males become mature at 2 years, then females much earlier - at a year and a half.
  • The female brings one cub once a year. The fertilized egg quickly develops in the female's uterus and turns into a naked pink embryo, which is rejected by the mother's body after about a month.
  • A small creature, 3-5 cm long, completely blind, crawls up on its own, clinging to the fur with its tiny claws.
  • Just before giving birth, mommy licks her fur in the lower abdomen, preparing a smooth path for the unborn baby right into the bag.
  • Once in place, the embryo independently finds one of the four nipples and is firmly attached to it. Now he is ready to continue his development for another 6-8 months.
  • By four months, the baby is overgrown with fur and begins to gradually peek out of his mother's bag. At 7 months old, he tries to walk around his mother while she is grazing, but at the slightest danger she immediately dives into her fluffy shelter.
  • The baby becomes independent at the age of eight months, gaining 3-4 kg. weight and gradually switching to eating grass, but up to a year he stays close to his mother and even climbs into a bag not to feast on milk.

  • Kangaroos have a twofold attitude towards their children: on the one hand, they are loving mothers who allow their offspring to ride them, and on the other hand, if the female is pursued by dogs or hunters, she can throw the baby out, leaving him to be torn to pieces.
  • The instinct to keep the mother alive, like lizards when they throw back their tails when they are caught.
  • The number of our heroes in the open spaces of Australia depends on two factors: the attitude of a person towards them, on the one hand, and rainfall, on the other.
  • When it rains more, herds of kangaroos are quickly renewed, and if long droughts begin, half of the babies sitting in their mothers' bags die.
  • But since the Green Continent is huge, and the red kangaroo occupies all the steppe and desert spaces in it, there is no need to worry about their numbers yet.
  • Much more dangerous for these animals is human persecution. Beginning in the 19th century, local pastoralists began to displace kangaroos from pastures occupied by their sheep.
  • They believed that these jumping klutzes were the main competitors of their favorite sheep, so they must be destroyed by any means.
  • And since the twenties of the last century, a real boom in the extermination of kangaroos began in Australia - for dog food, for furriers, tanners and export supplies, destroying up to 2 million animals every year.
  • But no matter what, today the red kangaroo in Australia is thriving and is not going to give up its positions, but only increases its numbers. Well done boys! Keep it up!