Kangaroo facts

From Boomers to Blue fliers: Fun facts About Kangaroos!!
Is your interest piqued? Read on for some further topics about the kangaroo family.

For starters: Kangaroos go by many nicknames. Big red male kangaroos are called "boomers", females are called "blue fliers" after the color of their coats, and babies are called "joeys." Most kangaroos are "crepuscular." In other words, they are most active in the early morning and late evening. In general, smaller kangaroos are more nocturnal than the larger species. For the most part, kangaroos are high-strung and nervous. They are constantly alert and rely on their keen eyesight and hearing. They are not very vocal, but use foot thumping as an alarm signal.

Diet: Smaller species are omnivorous, but rely on certain high-quality foods. Medium-sized species enjoy a mixture of browsing and grazing, consuming a wide variety of leafy vegetation. Larger kangaroos are grazers and specialize in eating grass. Because the cellulose in grass can only be digested by breaking it down through a fermentation process, kangaroos will regurgitate their food, chew it, and send it back down to the stomach again. Most kangaroo stomachs also contain roundworms, which may actually assist in digestion by secreting important enzymes.

Drought and population trends: During severe droughts, up to 70 percents of the kangaroos in a given region may die. Larger kangaroos will move in an effort to find a better water and food supply, but smaller species will physiologically adapt. Animals lost during a drought are quickly replaced when better weather arrives. Population increases of as much as 40% annually have been documented.

Metabolism: Kangaroos have a metabolic rate far below humans. To stay cool on hot days, kangaroos pant. They also lick their forearms. As the saliva evaporates, a capillary network beneath the surface acts as an efficient heat-exchanger. Many smaller kangaroos also have sweat glands in their tails.

Locomotion: Kangaroos are called "macropods" because of the way they hop on their two large feet. In reality, the hopping is actually done with most of the pressure on their enlarged fourth toe. The first toe has almost completely disappeared and the second and third toes are fused together to form a fur-grooming comb. While hopping, a kangaroo will use its tail as a counterbalance to its upper body. Like the mechanism of a pogo stick, the elastic fibrous tissues of a kangaroo’s tendons store energy enabling the kangaroo to use less energy the faster it goes. The largest kangaroos, the Reds, have been clocked at 15-20 mph. They have been known to go as fast as 40 mph, but they cannot maintain this speed for great distances. When moving slowly, kangaroos crouch and do a modified craw/walk with both forefeet on the ground.

Social behavior: Kangaroos are represented by a variety of social behaviors. Some are essential solitary, while other species live in well-defined groups called "mobs." As a whole, they cannot be categorized as particularly social (a biological term for "gregarious") animals. The basic social unit is the female and her young. The bond that forms between mother and daughter possibly continues into adulthood. Also, there is a high degree of tolerance among males and little enduring pair bonding between males and females that remain in a group or mob. Occasionally, a fight may erupt between the dominant male and a rival that is nearly equal in size. The result of this fight may be a new dominant male, but more often the dominant male is replaced only when he dies. In combat the animals grapple with each other using their forefeet and throwing back their heads to protect their eyes from getting clawed. In larger kangaroo species, the shoulder and chest muscles are highly developed for just such fights. Battles last anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes.

Reproduction/mating/courtship: Females must be in heat in order to be receptive and may only be so for a few hours. To successfully mate, males must be there at exactly the right time. A courting male may stroke the female’s tail, chest, or neck and may sometimes make a soft "clucking" noise. As excitement increases both animals may begin swishing their tails back and forth. Head bobbing by the male is also part of courtship behavior. If there is a big joey in the pouch, it is expelled and allowed to nurse from one teat that is protruding from the pouch, but he is not allowed to reenter the pouch. The mother then gives birth 21-31 days after this. The new joey crawls into the pouch and attaches itself to a teat. Then the female mates again. Sometimes all of this happens within the timeframe of one day. Joeys remain in the pouch for up to 300 days. Their eyes open at 130 days old. See marsupial facts

Predators: Kangaroos have many predators. Among the most distinct are man and dingos. If a dingo chases a kangaroo into water, the kangaroo will often grab it and hold it under water until it drowns. Other predators include the Tasmanian devil, feral cats, foxes, monitors, pythons, and eagles.