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Physical Characteristics: Red kangaroos are famous for their hoping style and being the biggest marsupials around.

Strong, muscular legs propel the animal across the grasslands at speeds of 40 mph (60kmh). They are able to clear lengths of 25 feet (8 meters), and, heights of 9 feet (3 meters).

Kangaroos are the largest marsupial mammals. They belong to the Macropodidae family.

A Kangaroo is a marsupial mammal. It is a macropod which means "big foot".

At top-speed kangaroos may make 12 foot leaps and reach a velocity of 30 mph! Even a lazy, (SLOW) hop can be as far as six feet! The long, heavy, and powerful kangaroo tail, makes hopping possible by providing balance and stability.

Only tree kangaroos move their hind feet independently of one-another. The red kangaroo can't walk, it only hops!

Adaptation: Bucks, or male kangaroos, aren't much for fighting to protect the herd -- when trouble comes, the whole herd scatters off in all directions! But when it comes to breeding rights, bucks KICKBOX!

The western group is slender and grayish-brown in color, and the southern group is stockier and brown in color.

They vary in color, being anywhere from grayish-brown to chocolate brown.

11 Red kangaroo estimate population in 1996 was 10'000'000

13 Western grey kangaroo estimate population in 1996 was 3'000'000

28 There are over 40 different types, (species) of Kangaroos.

43 Eastern Gray Macropus giganteus 3 - 8ft (0.9 - 2.4m) 40 - 200 lbs (18 - 95kg)

22 European settlement of Australia has worked against the survival of many native animals, including some species of kangaroo, in four main ways: fire patterns have changed, domestic stock have grazed large areas of native habitat, new predators have been introduced, and land has been cleared. Each of these factors has had a major, though different, effect on the habitat of our native species.

21 Kangaroos have adapted to the varied conditions across Australia in many ways. One of the most unusual, is the way females of some species can delay the progress of pregnancy. In this way the female is ready to give birth to a replacement for the young in her pouch if it dies early, or within a week of when it permanently leaves the pouch. This ability to delay births means that there can be up to 12 months between a mating and the birth of the young one resulting from that mating (when the normal gestation period is less than 35 days). It also means that the species can best respond to periods of drought and plenty.

18 The kangaroo fights by attacking its opponent with its front paws (which have sharp claws) or by kicking them with its powerful hind legs.

5 The two opponents clasp arms and try to kick each other in the belly! Footprint To keep from getting too hot, kangaroos take naps in the afternoons, and do most of their grazing by night.

6 But the best stay-cool secret of these creatures is the SPIT BATH! Kangaroos will drool and lick saliva all over their faces and bodies to cool down!

Growth: 7 Herbivores that graze mostly on grass, the red kangaroo congregates in groups of up to ten to feed together. These groups are based more on being in the same place than close family ties. Mother and joey stick together for years after the baby has left mama's pouch.

29 The smaller ones are usually called Wallabies. The largest is the Red Kangaroo.

45 Western Grey Macropus fuliginosus 3 - 7ft (0.9 - 2.1m) 63 - 120lbs (28 - 54kg)

44 Red kangaroo Macropus Rufus 3 - 9ft (0.9 - 2.7m) 40 - 150 lbs (18 - 70kg)

30 It stands taller than a man and can weigh 85 kg's. It is the largest marsupial in the world.

Kangaroos belong to an order of mammals called Marsupials. In most marsupials, females have abdominal pouches in which the embryonic young continue their development after birth. Kangaroos are the best known of the marsupials. Their long feet have earned them the name Macropod, which literally means "big-footed." Kangaroos move by hopping. When they are at rest, their body is sometimes positioned like a tripod, using the hind legs and tail. Kangaroos also walk on all "fives." The front legs and tail support the body while the hind feet move forward.

8 Joeys are born as small, bean-sized hairless babies that climb up and into the safety of the pouch. That's where he continues to grow. After 33 weeks, a joey becomes too big to be carried around, but many try to climb back in until they get the message from mom that taxi-time is over!

Habitat: 9 Eastern grey kangaroos distributed throughout most of the eastern third of the Australian continent, especially along the coast in damp forest and scrub. It has increased in numbers since European settlement due to pasture improvement, and the provision of watering points for stock.

62 Red kangaroos are distributed throughout inland Australia and occupy mixed habitats of open shrub lands, grasslands, male scrubs, Mulga country, and desert absent from the wetter areas of eastern, northern and south-western Australia.

10 Marsupials are distributed throughout Australia, in some areas of Asia, South and North America. Australia boasts the greatest number and diversity, while the United States is only home to one species, the common or Virginian opossum. Mexico and Central America have other types of opossums.

12 Red kangaroos are distributed throughout inland Australia and occupy mixed habitats of open shrub lands, grasslands, male scrubs, Mulga country, and desert absent from the wetter areas of eastern, northern and south-western Australia.

14 Western grey kangaroos inhabit 60% of western and southern Australia. The southern group can be found in South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales. They live in woodlands, open forests, coastal heath land, open grassland, scrubland and also can be found on city outskirts and golf courses.

15 Kangaroo numbers are increasing throughout Australia. They are now found in greater numbers than prior European settlement due to provision of pasture and additional water points. Since the extermination of its natural predator, the Tasmanian wolf, and because of its rapid reproductive abilities this animal has overpopulated.

Body Functions: 16 All kangaroos have a chambered stomach similar to cattle and sheep. They regurgitate the vegetation they have eaten, chew it as cud, and then swallow it again for final digestion. The Red kangaroo grazes during the night on a wide variety of grasses and low herbaceous plants, though sometimes this grazing period starts late evening and ends early morning When water is available it will drink but, if it obtains sufficient green food, it does not need to do so.

17 Western grey kangaroos feed mostly on grass but will browse upon certain native shrubs. They are strictly herbivorous and use microorganisms in the cecum to break down the cellulose of these plants. They can survive on plants high in fiber but low in nitrogen, and require very little water.

19 By purchasing one of our cuddly Australian made gifts you are helping preserve the natural habitat of the Australian Koala. We make regular donations to the preservation of the Australian Koala.

20 Kangaroo court is a slang term for an unauthorized gathering of people who take the law into their own hands by acting as a court.

Diet: 23 For example, the various hare-wallabies (Marsupials) have:


 * lost much of their food and shelter because burning patterns have changed, with grasslands being transformed into grazing lands for sheep or cattle, or turned into farmland;
 * had to compete more and more with introduced species, such as sheep, cattle and rabbits, for the remaining food;
 * had to deal with massive wildfires, fuelled by a build up of forest debris, and with introduced predators, such as the fox and the cat.

24 Australia's arid environment is very fragile and here the impact of Europeans has been most drastic. Past distributions show that the arid areas favored either large or small macropods - not the midsize species. Then, with the arrival of the fox and cat, the advantage of being small also vanished.

25 They are herbivores They eat low herbaceous plants Eat a variety of grasses When water is available they will drink it. However they eat enough grass,leafs,plants,and,fruit so they don’t have to Feed in groups of 10 called a mob. They Graze at night time sometimes from late evening till morning.They eat grass small plants and, apples.

26 When European explorers first saw these strange hopping animals they asked a native Australian (aborigine) what they were called. He replied "kangaroo" meaning "I don't understand" your question. The explorers thought this was the animal's name. And that's how the kangaroo got its name.

32 Kangaroos usually have one young annually. The young kangaroo, or joey, is born alive at a very immature stage, when it is only about 2 cm long and weighs less than a gram. Immediately after birth it crawls up the mother's body and enters the pouch. The baby attaches its mouth to one of four teats, which then enlarges to hold the young animal in place. After several weeks, the joey becomes more active and gradually spends more and more time outside the pouch, which it leaves completely between 7 and 10 months of age.

33 Female kangaroos enter into heat within a few days after giving birth they mate and conceive, but after only one week's development the microscopic embryo enters a dormant state that lasts until the previous young leaves the pouch.

34 The development of the second embryo then resumes and proceeds to birth after a gestation period of about 30 days.

35 The Kangaroo moves by hopping on its powerful hind legs. It uses its thick long tail to balance its body while hopping. A kangaroo can hop at up to 60kmh (40mph). It can also leap over obstacles up to 3m (10ft) high. Because of the unusual shape of its legs and its bulky tail a kangaroo can't walk or move backwards very easily. Kangaroos are found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.

36 Kangaroos need very little water to survive and are capable of going for months without drinking at all.

37 The kangaroo usually rests in the shade during the day and comes out to eat in the late afternoon and night when its much cooler.

38 A kangaroo carries its baby in its pouch. The baby is born really tiny and crawls into its mother's pouch.

39 The baby lives in its mother's pouch till its quite large. Even when its quite large it still drinks milk from a teat in its mother's pouch.

40 The Kangaroo moves by hopping on its hind legs using its tail for steering and balancing while hopping at speed up to 40mph/60kmh. When kangaroo is moving slowly the tail is used as an extra leg and supports the kangaroo when it is standing on its hind legs. Most kangaroos can only move both back legs together and not one at a time.

41 A male kangaroo is called a buck. It is also commonly called a "boomer" or an "old man". A female kangaroo is called a doe, or a flyer. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. Kangaroos have good eyesight but only respond to moving objects. They have excellent hearing and can swivel their large ears in all directions to pick up sounds. Kangaroos are social animals that live in groups or "mobs" of at least two or three individuals and up to 100 kangaroos.

42 Kangaroos usually have one young annually. The joey remains in the pouch for nine months and continues to suckle until twelve to seventeen months of age. Kangaroos can have 3 babies at one time. One becoming mature and just out of the pouch, another developing in the pouch and one embryo in pause mode. There are 4 teats in the pouch and each provides different milk for the different stages of development.

46 Sometimes known as the "Forester" the Eastern grey kangaroo is the heaviest marsupial in the world. Males are larger than females (rarely exceed 45kg).Eastern grey kangaroo lives in small groups but may congregate in large numbers when feeding. It is usually active from late afternoon until early morning, resting in the shade of trees and shrubs during the day.

Eastern grey kangaroos generally give birth to one infant at a time but twins have been reported. A single young weighing less than 0.35oz (1gr) is born after a pregnancy of 36 days. The joey leaves the pouch for short periods in about nine months of age, but continues to be suckled until it is about 18 months of age.

48 Red kangaroo is the largest marsupial in the world.The female is often called the "blue flyer" because of her blue-grey fur. In the eastern part males are usually red (pale red to brick red) and females a bluish grey, elsewhere, both sexes may be reddish/brown.Red kangaroos normally move in groups ("mobs") ranging from a few dozen to several hundred animals.

49 The Red kangaroo mob usually consists of a dominant male, a number of adult females, and juveniles of both sexes.Red kangaroo females are sexually mature at about eighteen months, males at about two years. Red kangaroo joeys remain in the pouch for 5-6 months. Over a period of 2-3 months they gradually spend more time away from the pouch usually weaned by one year of age, but normally remain close to the mother for another 6 months.

50 Western grey kangaroo looks much like the Eastern grey kangaroo, and for many years was treated as subspecies.

52 The muzzle is covered in fine hair.

54 Western grey kangaroo males are known as stinkers due to their strong, curry-like smell. Western grey kangaroos are the very vocal. The mothers communicate to the joeys with a series of clicks. Western grey kangaroos have no particular breeding season, although most joeys are born in the summer .Western grey kangaroo is related to the Eastern grey and Red kangaroos.

55 All kangaroos have a chambered stomach similar to cattle and sheep. They regurgitate the vegetation they have eaten, chew it as cud, and then swallow it again for final digestion. The Red kangaroo grazes during the night on a wide variety of grasses and low herbaceous plants, though sometimes this grazing period starts late evening and ends early morning When water is available it will drink but, if it obtains sufficient green food, it does not need to do so.

56 Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos prefer moister forests and scrublands of eastern, southern and south western Australia, but their habitat also overlaps with the Red Kangaroos. They're not as famous as the Red Kangaroos, but are the most commonly seen species in Australia.

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