Kangaroo
MACROPUS RUFUS
CLASSIFICATION
- Domain Eukarya-This domain has organisms that have a nucleus.
- Kingdom Animalia- In this kingdom all cells are multicellular and can move to the same point in life.
- Phylum chordata- All members in chordata have bilateral symmetry.
- Subphylum- All animals in Vertebrata share a vertebral columm and are mammals.
- Class Mammalia- All mammals produce milk and sweat. It's called mammary glands.
- Order Diprotodontia- Kangaroos have a thing called incisors in their mouths. (incisors- a narrow tooth at the front of a mouth.)
- Family Macropodidae- The members of the kangaroo family have long, strong tails to help them with jumping high and grasping things.
- Gensus Macropus- In Gensus there are kangaroos , wallabies, and wallaroos
- Species- Macropus rufus.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
- Height :It can be as tall as 1.8 meters.
- Length: The body is 1,600 mm to 850 mm, but the tail is 1,200 to 650 mm.
- Weight: It can weigh up to 90 kg.
- Color: The male is usually reddish brown. The female is usually bluish gray. But these colors can be switched.
- Natural Range: They live in the dry, inland, central part of Australia.
- Habitat Description: They live in the scrubland, grassland, shrub land, and desert. They do not like trees or bushes.
- Diet: The kangaroo eats grasses and flowering plants. They get their water from the plants they eat.
- Predators: Dingoes and raptors are the main predators. They use their feet to kick and attack predators.
Survival skills
Kangaroos travel in groups called "mobs". The young ones are always called Joey's. Their eyes, nose, height, diet, and habitat all help them survive in different ways.
Where Western Grey Kangaroos live
The most common place where Western grey kangaroos live is in the central inland part of Australia. They can have many habitats because they have different food in each habitat. The plants are in different locations. The population is about 1,774,000 Kangaroos.
How the Kangaroo Uses Its Body
Male kangaroos are stronger than female kangaroos. They both have strong tails that help them grasp on to things and help them jump high by jumping on their tails and then jumping into the air.
PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS
The kangaroo uses it's tail to balance it's body and move forward. It can jump up to 8 meters long and 3 meters high. They use their legs to kick and hit their prey. Their claws are also used to defend themselves from predators.
BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS
They live in families called mobs with about 10 members, They are most active at night when looking for food. When kangaroos want to mate, they have a boxing competition with other males. They do not keep the same mate.
REFERENCES
Kangaroo. (n.d.). In Kangaroo (pp. 1333-1336).
Yue, M. 2001. "Macropus rufus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 11, 2015 at http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Macropus_rufus/