Kangaroos - KANGAROOS

All About Kangaroos

Who's Who in The Macropod World.

When the Australian continental plat separated from Antarctica and began drifting north 64 to 136 million years ago, only its higher elevations protruded above the ocean, comprising a patchwork of isolated tropical islands. As their climate cooled and dried, and ocean levels fell, they formed a continent blanketed by large patches of grasslands.

Marsupials--

Mammals with external pouches in which their young develop.

The colonization began inauspiciously about 30 million years ago, after rat-sized animals hopped down from the relative safety of trees. They, in turn, gave rise to kangaroos and their various relatives--all called macropods. Many developed extraordinary speed and water-conserving physiology. The animals eventually occupied niches ranging from rocky hills, to forests, to open country-- varying in size from the musky rat-kangaroo, which can weigh less than half a kilogram (1 lb.), to red kangaroos, which can weigh more than 80 kilograms (175 lbs.).

Here are some of the current highlights of who's who among Macropods:

* The Big Guys:

The most well-known macropods are the three widespread species of large kangaroos. The red kangaroo most often inhabits the open plains of inland Australia and can live on little water. Eastern and western grey kangaroos, which need more drinking water than reds, usually inhabit wood- lands, although they graze pastures at night. All three are closely related to 11 smaller wallabies and wallaroos that thrive in habitats ranging from wet forests to arid and semi-arid grasslands-- and all look fairly similar except for differences in size.

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