Kangaroo
-It's an urban myth that the name kangaroo is the result of a misunderstanding,
and developed from an Aboriginal word meaning "I don't know", or "I don't
understand". (That's a popular story, you often read it in connection with names
that developed from Aboriginal words.)
-The adult male Kangaroo is called buck, boomer or jack, while adult females are called doe, flyer or jill. Young kangaroos are called joeys anda group of kangaroos are called a mob.
-Most people think kangaroos are endemic to (live only in) Australia. In fact,
several species of tree kangaroos and forest wallabies also live in Papua New Guinea.
-Red Kangaroos are adapted to the big open plains covering the
dry interior.
-The Red Kangaroo is the largest living marsupial and can grow
to two metres (!). It weighs up to 90 kg (200 pounds). Top speed: over 60 km/h (close to 40 mph). A Red Kangaroo can leap eight metres
far (25 feet) and three metres (10 feet) high! (If it wants to. At normal hopping speed they would cover more like 1.5 - 2
metres or 5 - 6 feet in a leap, at a speed of about 25 km/h or 15 mph.)
-All macropods have very strong hind legs and large feet. (Only the tree kangaroos have strong front legs as well, and smaller back legs compared to other kangaroos.)
-Odd kangaroo fact: on land kangaroos can't move their hind legs independently,
only together. But when they are swimming (they are good swimmers) they kick
each leg independently.
-Kangaroos live in "mobs" of about ten individuals, males and females. There is one dominant male, usually the oldest and biggest male.
This male is the only one to mate with the females in the mob.
-Like all marsupials baby kangaroos are born at a very early stage of
development, 31 to 36 days after gestation. If you compare that to humans it would be at the seventh week of a pregnancy.
and developed from an Aboriginal word meaning "I don't know", or "I don't
understand". (That's a popular story, you often read it in connection with names
that developed from Aboriginal words.)
-The adult male Kangaroo is called buck, boomer or jack, while adult females are called doe, flyer or jill. Young kangaroos are called joeys anda group of kangaroos are called a mob.
-Most people think kangaroos are endemic to (live only in) Australia. In fact,
several species of tree kangaroos and forest wallabies also live in Papua New Guinea.
-Red Kangaroos are adapted to the big open plains covering the
dry interior.
-The Red Kangaroo is the largest living marsupial and can grow
to two metres (!). It weighs up to 90 kg (200 pounds). Top speed: over 60 km/h (close to 40 mph). A Red Kangaroo can leap eight metres
far (25 feet) and three metres (10 feet) high! (If it wants to. At normal hopping speed they would cover more like 1.5 - 2
metres or 5 - 6 feet in a leap, at a speed of about 25 km/h or 15 mph.)
-All macropods have very strong hind legs and large feet. (Only the tree kangaroos have strong front legs as well, and smaller back legs compared to other kangaroos.)
-Odd kangaroo fact: on land kangaroos can't move their hind legs independently,
only together. But when they are swimming (they are good swimmers) they kick
each leg independently.
-Kangaroos live in "mobs" of about ten individuals, males and females. There is one dominant male, usually the oldest and biggest male.
This male is the only one to mate with the females in the mob.
-Like all marsupials baby kangaroos are born at a very early stage of
development, 31 to 36 days after gestation. If you compare that to humans it would be at the seventh week of a pregnancy.