Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

The Red Kangaroo

The red kangaroos is the giant of the Australian kangaroos. It is widespread over the mainland. It lives on grasses, and often lives in quite big mobs. It can leap up to five metres long in a jump and so is quite fast over short distances to escape danger.

When adult males are breeding they will often fight each other, face to face, boxing with their front paws and then giving gigantic double kicks with their back legs.

Because of the climate extremes in Australia, the kangaroos have adapted to the break or bust cycles. In droughts many kangaroos will die because there is no feed at all. But in a good season the female can have three young one with her: one as an embryo just starting off and not yet born, one in the pouch who draws a special milk supply from the mother , and another just out who gets milk from a different nipple. So suddenly there can be a population explosion.

Farmers vary in their attitudes from the  ferocious “Kill them” to “let’s learn to live them” They annoy farmers by eating sparse grass and by jumping through fences damaging them.

Further Information on the Red Kangaroo:

Bibliography:
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