RED KANGAROO

RED KANGAROO FEMALE WITH BABY 

The red kangaroo is the largest of all living marsupials. It is known as an unusual symbol of Australia. Ten years ago is was classed as a threatened species but its numbers recovered and is now to be found all over the outback.

Kangaroos and its relative only exist in Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. It is also herbivores.

Their appearance is unique with its strong, long and muscular hind legs. Their front legs are very short and have small paws. Its tapered tail is large, long and muscular and serves as a support when the animal stands still. Without it the animal would not be able to balance. 

The tail is also used as a balance and rudder when the animal moves fast.  The kangaroo moved fast with leaping movements and the two large toes with long claws are used to grip and have a hold on the ground. The hind feet have also two small toes but there are used for grooming.

The kangaroo’s body is somewhat heavy at the bottom because of its muscular hind-legs. The body tapers off towards the head with its thin face, long rounded ears coming down to its blunt muzzle.

FEMALE KANGAROO

The males have a reddish-brown, short thick coat while the females have a bluish-grey one. On the legs and undersides the fur is paler.  However, in some areas the colours could reverse. The females could have reddish fur.  Males can be twice the size of females but never more than 1.7m in length.  When they are aggressive they can stand-up to being 2m tall.

Kangaroos vary in the social habits. On a whole the red kangaroos live in groups up to ten animals and is called a ‘mob’. Their groups are mostly temporarily and have not very strong tie or bonds to each other.

They prefer a habitat which is grass covered like plains or savannas.  At the same time they stay close to tenser vegetation or woodland for cover and shelter. They mostly feed at night but it had been observed they travel in daylight in cooler weather.

If there is a great food supply the mob stay close around a small area but at food shortage they travel great distances to find food.

On a whole the red kangaroo does not seem to have a territory as such. In spite of that larger animals can be aggressive.  Males can put up a fierce fight either for a female or its area.  In a fight the males stand up on their hind legs and kick out with their front legs but also with their hind legs to unbalance the opponent.

FOOD

Nature adapted the red kangaroo to a diet of grass and leafy herbs. Its stomach has many sac-like folds which increase the total surface area.  It is similar to the stomach of ruminants.  It contains bacteria and protozoa helping to convert cellulose in the plants to substances which can be digested and used.

They start grazing at sundown and through the night.  The animal moves slowly and nibbles on its way. While doing so it balances on its tail and forearms as it swings its hind legs forward. It is equipped with a sharp hearing and when alarmed it leaps forward using only its hind legs and tail. Each leap can be between 9-10m and the kangaroo can reach a speed of over 50km/h.

BREEDING

Red kangaroos can breed all year round but only if the food is plentiful. They are weighing the situation up and when the food supply is good they breed and in bad times they don’t breed at all.

After a gestation of about 33 days the young ones young is born. The baby weighs 0.75g and scrambles from the birth canal into the mother’s pouch and it feeds on the nipples. As small as it is, it had developed a large tongue for sucking, nostrils to breath and well formed forelimbs with digits for hanging onto the mother’s fur and it stimulate the mother’s milk.

The milk of kangaroos is more diluted than of animals that suckle their young for a short time. They usually have only one youngster at one time and it is call Joe. It is very rare that they have twins. The young ones stay in the pouch for three month. During further five months it will hop in and out of the pouch and at eight months it leaves it altogether. If the mother has not given birth to another it will suckle until it is one year old.

Females are ready to mate at the age of 15-2 months and the males a few months later.

CONSERVATION

Humans settling in the area caused a decline of their habitat and kangaroo’s numbers fell.  The red kangaroos do not seem to be affected by it. It not only prefers to graze on different grasses as those eaten by sheep it also like the close cropped grass left behind by sheep. Since their numbers increased rapidly the farmers felt threatened and worried about their livestock. They started to kill them in large numbers. They are also hunted for their furs and the USA is the biggest importer of kangaroo’s fur.

An average one million kangaroo skin was exported to the USA each year between 1963 and 1966. By 1986 the figure dropped by half.