The harsh life of a big red kangaroo. Big red kangaroo, or red giant kangaroo, or red kangaroo Red kangaroo height

The red kangaroo (lat. Macropus rufus) is the undisputed symbol of Australia. It is the largest representative of the order of Marsupials (Marsupialia) and the family of Kangaroos (Macropodidae) on our planet.

It is perfectly adapted to life in the savannahs of the Australian continent, parched by the hot sun. Without a true placenta, this mammal cannot bear its cubs for a long time, so until a certain age they develop in a special deep skin fold on the mother’s abdomen, which is commonly called the bursa.

Behavior

In southern Australia, the red kangaroo lives mainly in barren lands overgrown with halophytes (plants that grow in saline soils) and rare acacia bushes.

Further to the north, inland plains begin with a predominance of dry steppes, savannas with eucalyptus woodlands and thickets of dwarf acacia. In the center of the continent lie deserts with sparse thorny bushes. In these deserts, kangaroos feel great, traveling tens of kilometers during the day in search of plant food.

Their numbers in a given territory depend entirely on the availability of food in the area. this moment. At the same time, the fertile regions of the eastern coast and rainforests in the north this marsupial mammal is not at all attracted.

The red kangaroo, despite its impressive size, has a rather peaceful character.

During the rainy season, animals roam in small groups of no more than 10 individuals. They usually consist of one male and several females with cubs.

Having matured, young kangaroos gather in new groups, and old ones live out their lives independently. When the rainy season ends and food becomes scarce, the animals gather in large herds and all go together in search of new pastures and watering places. They are able to go without water for several days, and when they sense a source underground, they deftly dig holes up to 1 m deep.

During the day, kangaroos rest, but do not sleep, but carefully doze, listening to the slightest rustle. When the heat subsides a little, they begin to graze, usually devoting 8-10 hours a day to this activity. They graze mainly at night, gathering in large herds to make it easier to fight off possible attack predators. They are often attacked by wild dingoes.

When attacked, kangaroos use an original method of defense, rushing to the nearest watering hole. Running into the water, they try to drown their angry enemies.

The diet is based on various herbs and shrub foliage. Females try to choose food with a high protein content, while males are generally unpretentious to food. The marsupial chews each portion of food thoroughly, using 16 molars, which are renewed 4 times during life. Red kangaroos use their incisors to bite grass. Their stomach is very spacious. The cells of its inner lining secrete a special mucus in which bacteria live that can easily break down cellulose.

The hind limbs of a kangaroo always move synchronously. To maintain balance during leisurely movement, the animal always rests on its front paws and tail. It usually moves using 2-meter jumps at speeds of up to 20 km/h. In case of danger, it reaches speeds of up to 40 km/h, making giant leaps up to 9 m in length and 3 m in height.

Reproduction

When conditions are favorable, kangaroos reproduce all year round. In the fight for the female, the males arrange boxing matches among themselves, beating the enemy with their front paws until he leaves the battlefield in disgrace. Sometimes powerful blows from the hind legs are used, which can cause serious injuries.

The fertilized egg develops in the uterus for 33 days, after which an underdeveloped baby is born, 2.5-3 cm long and weighing about 1 g. Along the path in the fur licked by the mother, it crawls into the pouch, where it immediately attaches its mouth to one of the four nipples

After 110 days, the baby becomes covered with fur, and after another month he looks out of the pouch for the first time in his life. On the 200th day, he makes his first exit from the mother's pouch, but at the slightest danger they return back. At the age of 8 months, the offspring reaches a weight of 2-4 kg and is already most spends time outside, constantly nourished by mother's milk. The grown cub enjoys playing with its mother, imitating its future fights.

Description

Adult male red kangaroos are almost 2 times larger than females. Males with a height of 1.6 m weigh about 66 kg, and females with a height of 1 m rarely exceed a weight of 30 kg. Occasionally, particularly large individuals up to 2 m high are encountered.

The hind legs are well developed and adapted to move with long jumps, sometimes used as lethal weapon. The relatively small front five-toed paws are armed with claws, which are used in fights, for cleaning fur and grabbing food.

The fur is very thick. In males it is colored a bright reddish-red color, and in females it is gray-blue. The long, muscular tail serves as a balancer during jumping and additional support when resting. The nose is wide open like a dog's. Black, brown or white markings are clearly visible near the nostrils. The shape and size of the ears gives them a resemblance to a horse's.

There are no fangs. There are three pairs of constantly growing incisors in the upper jaw, and one pair in the lower jaw.

Red kangaroos live in wildlife on average 6-8 years, in captivity with good care they live up to 20 years. Local residents willingly hunt them for meat and skins. The population size is currently about 10 million individuals.

The big red kangaroo is without a doubt the most famous inhabitant Australia.

And although almost 250 years have passed since James Cook's voyage, when Europeans first saw this unusual animal, the kangaroo has been and remains the most popular animal of the Green Continent.

Moreover, it has become a symbol of Australia and its image is on the country’s coat of arms. And this is not surprising, because only Australia is home to this strange-at-first-glance animal.

There are several dozen species, they even make up an entire family of kangaroos, but it is the gigantic red kangaroo that is the largest among them and in the entire class of marsupials.

This unusual animal attracts not only its appearance, but also its behavior and habits. This large animal, almost two meters tall, differs in many ways from ordinary animals living on other continents.

Here are the main differences:

1. The usual posture of a kangaroo, unlike all animals, is not a horizontal, but a vertical position of the body. This is a kind of enlarged copy of our jerboa.
2. The structure of the body is also special, in that the kangaroo has a very developed lower body, especially long muscular hind legs. The front paws are capable of performing grasping actions.
3. The kangaroo's method of movement is also unique. They move using only their hind legs in leaps and bounds, pushing off with both legs at the same time. With this seemingly inconvenient method, they can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.
4. Very great muscular strength. With an adult kangaroo weighing about 80 kg, its jumps can reach eight meters in length and three in height. The blow of the hind leg is so strong that it can kill an animal or a person.
5. A long, strong tail, which the kangaroo uses as a third support for taking a vertical stance, as well as when jumping.
6. Because of special structure bodies, despite the powerful hind legs, kangaroos do not know how to move backwards and move only forward.
7. Kangaroos swim well. Moreover, while swimming, their hind legs work alternately, like all animals.
8. The red kangaroo is a marsupial animal. When producing offspring, the cubs are born underdeveloped and they go through the main stages of development while in a special device of the female kangaroo, which is a kind of bag formed by a fold of skin on her abdomen. They remain in this state for more than six months until they become able to eat and move independently.
9. A female kangaroo can delay pregnancy and, moreover, select the sex of the future baby.

It is not possible to adopt kangaroos as a pet due to their mode of movement. However, from the very beginning of man's acquaintance with kangaroos, people used them for their own purposes: kangaroo meat for food, and fur for making clothes. Kangaroo meat is very nutritious, it is considered healthier than beef or lamb, and for Lately it has become very popular, especially in high-end restaurants.

Since Australia is one of the countries where large-scale livestock is raised, there is a problem with the fact that ruminant manure releases methane and nitric oxide in quantities that can be the culprit. global warming. There is no such problem with kangaroos, since they emit several times less methane. In this regard, scientists are considering the issue of replacing cattle breeding with kangaroos. For this purpose, special kangaroo farms have already begun to be created. The kangaroo meat produced on these farms is in high demand in many countries around the world.

Large red kangaroos are considered very valuable species In almost all zoos in the world, there are always a lot of visitors near their enclosures. Moreover, thanks to their fairly high intelligence, these animals are quite easy to train and therefore are used in many circuses, where they perform rather complex circus acts. And the circus act “kangaroo boxing” is generally considered unique.

The only enemies of the big red kangaroo are crocodiles, pythons, dingoes and humans. Kangaroos deal with dingoes by luring them into the water, where they drown them. They are carried away by their feet from pythons and crocodiles. A person without a weapon can easily lose in a fight with a large red kangaroo; against a person with a weapon, kangaroos are powerless.

Kangaroo hunting in Australia has been an issue for many years. The fact that kangaroos have always been hunted is no secret. These were local aborigines, and the first settlers and farmers defending their plantations from the attacks of these voracious animals. Such shootings are still practiced now, in regions where flocks of kangaroos run amok, causing big damage agriculture, but more often they are caught and moved to nature reserves.

But poaching of kangaroos has not been completely eliminated. Many travel companies organize special safaris, which attract hunters from many countries, including Russia. During jeep races, dozens of kangaroos are shot of different ages. And although this type of hunting is prohibited, it unfortunately still exists. For a small amount you will be provided with a car, weapons, and experienced rangers to accompany you. During such a hunt, it is the red kangaroos that live in open areas that suffer.

Such an unusual animal as the kangaroo, in order not to disappear as a species, requires certain protection from mass extermination. To achieve this, the Australian government has created several national parks, in whose territories hunting for kangaroos is prohibited and they live there quietly without threat from people. And the kangaroos treat the staff of these reserves with trust, knowing that these people will never bring them harm, and if something happens, on the contrary, they will come to the rescue.

The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial mammal on the planet.

Thanks to great growth and incredibly strong hind legs, he is the undisputed animal champion in the long jump.

The kangaroo is the unofficial symbol of Australia - it is even depicted on the coat of arms of this state.

Appearance

The body size of an adult male is one and a half meters, not counting the tail, which reaches another meter in length. The animal weighs 80–85 kilograms. The fur is short and thick, brownish-red in color.

Powerful hind legs and a large, heavy tail allow kangaroos to jump superbly. In case of danger, in one jump he can cover a distance of up to 12 meters in length and up to 3 meters in height. If it is necessary to fight back, the animal suddenly leans on its own tail, and with its freed hind legs it painfully hits the enemy.

The front clawed legs are excellent for digging up edible roots. Females have a convenient pouch - a deep fold of skin on the abdomen, in which the mother carries the kangaroo.

Habitat

The only continent where kangaroos live is Australia. Animals are accustomed to arid conditions in steppes and semi-deserts, so they can go without water for a long time. During long droughts, they dig wells and extract water from them. These wells are then used by pink cockatoos, marsupial martens, emus and other steppe inhabitants.

Lifestyle

Kangaroos forage at night and during the day they rest in burrows or grass nests. They live in groups of 10–12 individuals. At the head of a small herd is a male, he has several females and small cubs. The leader is very jealous - he strictly ensures that other males do not enter his territory. Otherwise, it ends in a serious fight.

During sweltering heat, they try to move less, breathe frequently, open their mouths wide and lick their paws. If there is no way to hide in the shade from the scorching sun, they dig shallow holes in the sand.

Kangaroo animals eat plant foods. In addition to steppe grass, they love to find cereals, roots and tubers in pastures and homesteads, which causes significant harm to Australian farmers.

Enemies

In the wild, the red kangaroo has few enemies: dingoes, foxes and. If necessary, the marsupial can perfectly stand up for itself, using fighting techniques with the help of its hind legs. They successfully escape, reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.

The main enemy of the kangaroo is man. Farmers and herders different ways fight against annoying animals that eat pastures. The Australian red kangaroo is of great interest to hunters - its dietary meat is rich in proteins and contains only 2% fat. The skin is used to make clothes, shoes and other products.

Reproduction

Kangaroo pregnancy does not last long - from one to one and a half months. A tiny and completely helpless baby is born, measuring only 3 centimeters. He is immediately placed in the pouch and spends the next two and a half months there, feeding on his mother's milk.

Voice of a baby kangaroo

Having gotten a little stronger, the little kangaroo begins to make short forays, instantly jumping back at the slightest danger. Usually he hides in a bag for up to 8 months or simply warms himself in it. After this, the cub begins to gradually gain independence. The lifespan of a kangaroo is about 20 years.

1. The history of the word "kangaroo" is associated with a fascinating legend. James Cook, finding himself on a new continent for the first time and noticing an unusual animal, asked local resident, what is it called. The aborigine replied: “Ken-gu-ru,” that is, “I don’t understand you,” and Cook decided that this was the name of an exotic animal.
2. The principle of carrying a baby in a pouch on the stomach formed the basis of modern baby carriers, which are called kangaroo backpacks.

The giant red kangaroo does not know how to move backwards, it is always directed only forward. Perhaps, thanks to such natural progressiveness, this animal even appears on the coat of arms of Australia. Although, I must admit, the marsupial aborigine is, in general, a great guy: muscular, not picky, hardy, which allows him to adapt perfectly to the arid climate - a real “occi”, as the Australians call themselves.

Zoo center

Big red kangaroo(Megaleia rufa)
Class- mammals
Infraclass- marsupials
Squad- two-incisor marsupials
Family- kangaroos
Genus- red kangaroos

The great red kangaroo is the largest marsupial found in Australia. Their population today is about 10 million individuals, that is, one kangaroo for every two Australians. Redheads are especially numerous on the vast inland plains, where they live in small herds: a male and several females with cubs. Pregnancy in females lasts up to 40 days. There are one, rarely two cubs in a litter. Baby kangaroos are born tiny, they are the smallest among large mammals. The lifespan of a kangaroo is 10 years, in captivity - up to 15.

The homeland of red kangaroos cannot be called a paradise. Basically, these are the interior regions of the continent, the same ones that are rightly called the “Dead Heart” of Australia. There is little water here, and there is nothing to hope for rain - no more than 500 millimeters of precipitation falls per year, barely moistening the parched land, so the vegetation here is not rich: only isolated islands of coarse grass, and even more rarely - thickets of Australian thorny bushes and scrub. Only very hardy creatures can feel comfortable in such conditions - red kangaroos - the largest living marsupials. By the way, only males can rightfully be called “red”; the fur of females is usually bluish-gray. Paleontologists claim that kangaroos chose this territory several million years ago. They have lived here since the climate in most of Australia became arid, and the rainforests gave way to steppes and deserts.

Like all representatives of the kangaroo family, the red one has short front legs and long, powerful hind legs. There is a legend that once all kangaroos walked on four legs, but then the front ones were badly burned during a fire, and they had to learn to walk on two. True, this legend has nothing to do with evolution, but the fact remains: with the help of their hind legs, these animals move by jumping at speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour, and cover more than nine meters in one energetic jump. Moreover, the muscular “legs” armed with steel claws are also used by the animals as weapons of defense. But they resort to this method of fighting extremely rarely, only when they are “pressed to the wall” and there is nowhere to retreat; in all other cases, they prefer to simply run away. As for the front paws, mating season The males deftly “box” with them, inflicting very sensitive blows on each other. But the powerful and wide tail is used exclusively as a support or balancer when running.

Red kangaroos are true hermits. They are not only extremely unpretentious to food, but also tolerate a lack of water. This quality is especially important in the summer, when the few rivers dry up from the heat, and the animals have to stay in the sweltering heat. It’s the hottest time, the midday hours, they try to spend in the shade and move less. If this does not help, kangaroos lick their paws and spread saliva on their face and body to cool themselves. Thanks to this “washing”, jumpers can withstand heat of more than 40 degrees, which Australian desert not at all uncommon. They become active at night, with the onset of cool weather.

Red kangaroos live in herds of 10-12 individuals. The family consists of several females with offspring and one, rarely two males. Sometimes such small groups unite into large ones, where the number of animals reaches a thousand or more heads. They usually live within certain territory, but sometimes, in search best places for life, they can embark on long journeys. The maximum recorded distance that red kangaroos managed to overcome is 216 kilometers, and this is a lot even for the vast expanses of the Green Continent.

Marsupials do not have a special breeding season; more precisely, it extends throughout the year. Usually a male starts a “harem” of several females, which he jealously guards from other single males - this is where “boxing” skills come into play. A month later, the female gives birth to a tiny baby (less often than two), weighing only three grams. This creature, more like an underdeveloped embryo, will have to crawl to the mother’s pouch immediately after birth, which will take at least half an hour and the same amount to find the nipple and suck on it, so tightly that it is almost impossible to tear it off. But after the “first” difficult path has passed, you don’t have to work anymore: milk is injected into the cub’s throat from time to time, and he, accordingly, eats and grows. Due to the similarity of the baby kangaroo at this stage of life with the fetus as such, naturalists have long believed that it is not born in the usual way, but buds off from the mother’s nipples. The baby grows in a bag. In a year he will become a hundred times larger and about a thousand times heavier. After 6 months, he already begins to crawl out of the bag, but at the slightest danger he immediately dives back head down, and then turns over and looks out. And only after a year the baby kangaroo moves to independent life in which must rely on well developed vision, hearing, smell or to signals sent by relatives. By the way, the sounds made by jumpers cannot be called pleasant: most of all they resemble a hoarse cough. They can also hit the ground with their hind paws, warning their fellow tribesmen about the approach of an enemy. When scientists recorded this knock on film and played the recording to the marsupials living in the zoo, they instantly jumped to their feet and began to look around and listen in fear. Despite their impressive size, red giants have enemies. Of the four-legged animals, these are dingoes, brave and hardy predators that hunt in packs, or large vultures that can pull a small kangaroo right out of the pouch of a gaping mother. But most of all, animals get it from people. Farmer-settlers back in the century before last shot them because during drought, marsupials take away pasture lands from their livestock. But this was not the only reason for the cruel hunting of kangaroos - their skin and meat are highly valued. Especially the meat - tasty, lean, it is popular with gourmets, although, it must be said, the Australians themselves are not at all enthusiastic about eating steak and sausage from national symbol. Local conservationists are constantly fighting against the industrial killing of animals, calling this hunting a “barbaric massacre.” Concerned producers even recently announced a competition to replace the name “kangaroo meat”, which scares off Australians. Hundreds of options have been invented. For example, “skippy” is the name of a local television series about these animals, popular in the 60s. To be fair, it’s worth noting that kangaroo roast is not an invention at all. white man: Aborigines have been hunting them since ancient times, valuing the tail most of all (they find all other parts of the carcass too tough). Today, hunting for red kangaroos is restricted by the authorities of all states. In addition, Australia is a country of national parks, which cover 3 million square miles (almost 8 million square kilometers) of territory. Big sizes populations and vast expanses of natural habitat protect red kangaroos from extinction. (In this sense, they were much luckier than, for example, Tasmanian devils, which are on the verge of extinction as a result of active human development of their native Tasmania.)

True, red-haired giants can sometimes, through negligence, become the cause and victim of an accident. Farmers and national park rangers who drive jeeps know that in a collision, both the animal and the vehicle usually suffer. Therefore, they came up with the idea of ​​​​attaching a durable frame to the front bumper, the demand for which, fueled by manufacturers of auto accessories, spread throughout the world. So the red kangaroo can rightfully consider itself a co-author of this invention.

The large red, or gigantic red, kangaroo is the most major representative squad of modern marsupial mammals. Animals live throughout Australia, except for the western regions, some areas in the south of the continent, the east coast and a small zone tropical forests in the north.

Only forward!

Kangaroos are the only large animals that move by jumping. Moreover, when moving on the ground, they use both hind legs simultaneously, and when swimming, they use them in turn. The animal cannot move backwards at all. This is probably why the kangaroo is depicted on the state emblem under the motto “Australia always moves forward!”

Kangaroos cannot be called notorious fighters, but when it comes to a serious fight, the fight begins with threatening poses and ends with powerful blows from the hind legs to the stomach. At the same time, they skillfully use their powerful tail - it acts as an additional support when taking a vertical stance. A long tail and powerful hind legs allow the kangaroo to jump over two-three-meter hedges, and in case of danger, reach speeds of 45 to 55 km/h, sometimes up to 65 km/h.

Adjustment skills

Kangaroos live in small groups and lead a predominantly crepuscular lifestyle. Being herbivores, animals prefer savannas with dense vegetation. If there is a shortage of succulent grasses, they switch to other foods (tree bark, dry and hard grass, worms and insects). Kangaroos easily survive severe droughts, as they can go without water for several days.

Kangaroos adapt very well to their surrounding reality. To communicate with each other, animals use a number of different sounds: hissing, sneezing, clicking, etc.

Caring for offspring

Kangaroo cubs are born premature (weighing no more than 1 g and 2 cm long) and grow and develop in the mother’s pouch for quite a long time. Once born, the baby immediately crawls into its mother’s pouch and attaches itself to one of the four nipples. Each nipple produces its own type of milk, which depends on the age of the kangaroo. Moreover, if there are cubs of different ages, the mother can have two types of milk at the same time. The baby finally leaves the pouch only after reaching 8 months of age. Very often, at a moment of danger, a kangaroo takes the baby out of the pouch, hides it in a secluded place and leads the predator away from its offspring. Having escaped from the chase, the mother returns to the kangaroo and puts him back in the bag.

Albino kangaroos

The appearance of albinos is the result of a genetic mutation. In the wild, such animals have to face certain difficulties due to their unusual color, and they rarely survive. A small number of individuals can be found in various zoos.

You should know it

• International scientific name: Macropus rufus.
• Security status: causing the least concern.
• Characteristic: The kangaroo is different from most animals: its hind limbs and tail are disproportionately more massive and powerful than the front ones. A small head, narrow shoulders and short front legs indicate poor development upper body. The weight of adult males reaches 80 kg, and the body length reaches 1.4 m; females are somewhat smaller.
• This is interesting: In the wild, the lifespan of kangaroos averages 6 years, while in captivity some individuals can live 25 years or more.