Kangaroos are amazing animals from a family called macropods. Kangaroos are the biggest animals from this family and are mainly found in Australia. The other macropods are wallaroos that follow the kangaroos in size, and wallabies being the smallest. You can identify the kangaroos by their powerful hind legs, big feet, long tail, small forelimbs, and short hair. Their huge tails and powerful hind limbs are essential for their hopping locomotion. Kangaroos have some fun facts you might not have known. Without further ado, let me show you some interesting facts about this fantastic animal.
1. Female kangaroos can pause pregnancy
The female kangaroos get pregnant constantly. When the new baby called joey gets into the pouch, the mother will be impregnated again. Though, it can freeze the developing embryo until joey is able to get out of the pouch. The cycle of the embryo will continue once the joey is able to get out from the pouch.
2. Kangaroos don’t sweat
The kangaroos have no sweat glands. Therefore they mostly relax in shaded places. In case it’s very hot, this animal will cool their bodies by licking its forearms till the fur is soaked. Moreover, they will lick their paws then the moisture is rubbed on their chest.
3. Kangaroos can’t move backward
This amazing animal can’t jump backward due to its huge and muscular tails. Australia is inspired by this since they’ve featured a kangaroo and an emu on their coat of arms. Given both animals can’t move backward, it symbolizes the forward movement of the nation.
4. Male kangaroos flex to impress the female
The way male human beings can flex to impress ladies, kangaroos are able to do the same. The male kangaroos that showed larger biceps regularly are more likely to be selected by females.
5. Kangaroos can use their tails as the fifth leg
Kangaroos possess huge tails. Those tails are not only used for balance but also act as an extra leg. They walk in a unique style, pushing their tails off the ground then jumping with the hind legs. Interestingly, their tail’s force is equal to the combination of both hind legs.
6. Most kangaroos are left-handed
You may have thought that only human beings possess a dominant hand. Kangaroos have the same character as well. While feeding and grooming, wild kangaroos use their left arm.
7. Kangaroos eat grass like cows but emit less methane
According to scientific research, kangaroos emit less methane due to a particular type of bacterium found in their stomachs. The result is helpful to the kangaroos when processing their food, also important to the environment. Researchers are still studying this kind of bacteria so that they can implement it in farm animals such as cows. In case they succeed, it will benefit the environment from harm by reducing the amount of methane emitted.
8. Australia has more kangaroos than human beings
In 2015, the population of human beings was found to be 24 million. The kangaroo’s population was almost double the human population, a total of 44 million kangaroos. The number of kangaroos in this nation is a fact that can’t be left behind.
9. Newborn Joeys are the size of Lima bean.
Since kangaroos have a short gestation period of about 33 days, Joeys are tiny when born. After four months, they can leave the pouch for short periods. They fully leave the pouches after ten months.
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