The social lives of kangaroos are more complex than we thought
Have you ever wondered what a kangaroo's social life looks like? Well, kangaroos have stronger bonds to one another than you might think.
Have you ever wondered what a kangaroo's social life looks like? Well, kangaroos have stronger bonds to one another than you might think.
Plants & Animals
Sep 20, 2023
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In 1772, Joseph Banks commissioned the foremost painter of animals in England, George Stubbs, to paint a dingo and a kangaroo.
Plants & Animals
Aug 21, 2023
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Australia's iconic grass-trees—aka yaccas—are hardy, drought-tolerant, and strikingly beautiful. Now, new research has revealed another, far more important, feature: their ability to protect wildlife from deadly weather ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 21, 2023
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Earth was not always so hospitable. Evidence of how it came to be so beautiful and nurturing is locked in the rocks of South Australia's Flinders Ranges—a site now vying for World Heritage listing.
Earth Sciences
Aug 7, 2023
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Extinct kangaroos used alternative methods to their famous hop, according to comprehensive analysis from University of Bristol and the University of Uppsala scientists.
Evolution
Jun 13, 2023
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Kangaroos are an enduring symbol of Australia's uniqueness. To move, they do what no other large mammals do: they hop along on oversized hind legs. So you may be surprised to learn that some kangaroos live in trees, and are ...
Evolution
Jun 7, 2023
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Australia's dingo fence is an internationally renowned mega-structure. Stretching more than 5,600 kilometers, it was completed in the 1950s to keep sheep safe from dingoes. But it also inadvertently protects some native species.
Evolution
Jun 1, 2023
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445
Researchers from the University of Adelaide have discovered new species of lactic acid bacteria on Kangaroo Island that could be used in the fermentation of wine, ciders and sour beers.
Cell & Microbiology
May 22, 2023
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Australia's kangaroos could die in "catastrophic" numbers if a population boom is left unchecked, ecologists have warned, while backing the industrial-scale culling of the marsupials.
Ecology
May 10, 2023
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They're well known for their industrious work, but now a species of ant on Kangaroo Island is also showing that it is skilled at "playing dead," a behavior that University of South Australia researchers believe is a recorded ...
Plants & Animals
May 4, 2023
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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.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA