News tagged with kangaroos
Genetic safety in numbers, platypus study finds
(Phys.org) -- Platypuses on the Australian mainland and in Tasmania are fighting fit but those on small islands are at high risk of being wiped out from disease, according to a University of Sydney study.
May 18, 2012 |
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Australia had 'globe-trotting' dinosaurs: study
Scientists said Monday a new fossil discovery suggested Australia's dinosaurs were cosmopolitan globe-trotters, unlike the "unique weirdos" of its current wildlife.
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 07, 2012 |
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A step towards solving a maritime mystery
Students from Flinders University believe they have discovered the exact location of a Scottish sailing ship which sank in waters off Kangaroo Island more than 100 years ago.
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Apr 23, 2012 |
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Study: Demise of large animals caused by both man and climate change
Past waves of extinctions which removed some of the world's largest animals were caused by both people and climate change, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. Their findings were reported today, 05 ...
Mar 05, 2012 |
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Australia -- land of the koala, kangaroo... and elephant
Elephants and maybe rhinoceroses could be introduced to Australia to chomp on an invasive African grass that also causes wildfires, according to an idea reported in a scientific journal on Wednesday.
Feb 01, 2012 |
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Fresh hopes for anti-microbial potential from Aussie native plants
QAAFI and Queensland Government scientists have discovered promising new anti-microbial properties in a combination of natural-plant ingredients, including two common native Australian plums.
Jan 11, 2012 |
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Australian miner says any derailment spill 'diluted'
An Australian mining company said Thursday that any hazardous copper concentrate from its operations that may have washed into floodwaters when a freight train derailed had likely been "highly diluted."
Dec 29, 2011 |
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500 million-year-old super predator had remarkable vision
South Australian Museum and University of Adelaide scientists working on fossils from Kangaroo Island, South Australia, have found eyes belonging to a giant 500 million-year-old marine predator that sat at ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 07, 2011 |
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Rare bettongs return to mainland
The rare eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) has returned to the Australian mainland, after an absence of over 80 years.
Nov 03, 2011 |
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The first kangaroo genome sequence
Kangaroos form an important niche in the tree of life, but until now their DNA had never been sequenced. In an article newly published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, an international consor ...
Aug 19, 2011 |
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Report calls for urgent reform of kangaroo industry
The University of Technology, Sydney think tank on kangaroos – THINKK, has called for a number of policy changes to improve welfare standards in the industry in its latest report, Welfare implications ...
Jul 14, 2011 |
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Mother kangaroos at higher health risk
Mother kangaroos face higher health risks to carry and raise their young than their non-reproducing sisters; a new University of Melbourne study has shown.
Jul 06, 2011 |
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Adoptions and offspring swapping stun kangaroo researchers
Kangaroos adopt. It doesn't happen often, but to the astonishment of biologists at Wilsons Promontory National Park in Australia, sometimes a mother bends forward, opens her arms and invites someone else's ...
Jul 01, 2011 |
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Thylacine hunting behavior: Case of crying wolf?
Its head and body looked like a dog, yet its striped coat was cat-like. It carried its young in a pouch, like a kangaroo. No wonder the thylacine — the enigmatic, iconic creature of Australia and Tasmania ...
May 04, 2011 |
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Motion-capture helping reveal how kangaroos hop
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in Australia, the UK and US have for the first time used infrared motion capture technology outdoors to work out how kangaroos distribute their weight and the forces as they hop ...
Mar 11, 2011 |
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Kangaroo
A kangaroo (/keɪŋɡəruː/) is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning 'large foot'). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country of Australia. The smaller macropods are found in Australia and New Guinea.
Kangaroos have large, powerful hind legs, large feet adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Like most marsupials, female kangaroos have a pouch called a marsupium in which joeys complete postnatal development.
Larger kangaroos have adapted much better to changes brought to the Australian landscape by humans and though many of their smaller cousins are endangered, they are plentiful. They are not farmed to any extent, but wild kangaroos are shot for meat, leather hides, sport, and to protect grazing land for sheep and cattle. Although there is some controversy, harvesting kangaroo meat has many environmental and health benefits over traditional meats.
The kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia: its emblem is used on the Australian coat of arms, on some of its currency, as well as by some of Australia's well known organisations, including Qantas. The kangaroo is important to both Australian culture and the national image and consequently there are numerous popular culture references.
For more information about Kangaroo, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
