Red kangaroo: about the muscles and fighting spirit of marsupial troublemakers (10 photos)

Every year, the Australian government issues permits to shoot 1.5 million kangaroos. But this is not a blood sacrifice, it is an urgent need. The locals know that kangaroos have power. And the bigger the kangaroo, the greater the power. And the red kangaroo is the largest of all.





Hey, beautiful, do you want to take a little walk?

An adult male red kangaroo is a frighteningly large fellow. Standing up straight, he will be as tall as an average person. And he weighs up to 90 kilograms. Which rush across the Australian wastelands at a speed of 65 km/h! And in one "jump" the animal covers a distance of 8 meters!



Yes, that's right, the kangaroo bent the bucket with its front paws.

All thanks to powerful legs and special tendons. Other animals only need tendons to fix the muscles. But the kangaroo has learned to accumulate energy in them so effectively that jumping is as easy for it as grazing calmly on all four paws. Studies show that the level of oxygen consumed during a high-speed run (or jump?) and walking is almost the same.





Are we looking at a marathon or a long jump?

And all because its legs work like springs. When the animal's paw is on the ground, the tendons are compressed. As soon as it moves, they automatically give the impulse to jump. Or to strike. And to make the kick even more sensitive, red kangaroos fly into enemies with both legs at once. Thanks to this attack, the animal strikes with a force of 344 kg!



It seems that the winner of this fight has already been determined.

If a person tries to do the same, he will certainly fall to the ground and lose all advantage. But a kangaroo - no. After all, it has 120 centimeters of muscular tail. When a kangaroo runs, the tail helps it fit into turns, works as a counterweight. And during an epic double kick, it turns into a third leg, which you can lean on while the other two trample the chest and stomach of your opponent.



What are you staring at, weirdo? Oh, right, you don't have a tail of your own! You're jealous!

Does it need to be said that due to their physical strength, red kangaroos have almost no natural enemies? Yes, dingoes are capable of attacking females - female kangaroos weigh no more than 40 kilograms. But they are not fools, the girls gather in small herds of 4 to 10 individuals. Sometimes males join the ladies, but they are free birds, they come and go whenever they feel like it. After all, male kangaroos are not afraid of wild dogs. They have biceps!



This kangaroo contributes to the development of an inferiority complex in 99% of men on the planet.

Relatively short but powerful front paws are very helpful to kangaroos during fights with dogs, both wild and not. The kangaroo's favorite tactic is to catch a predator by the throat, press it to the body, drag it into a body of water and hold it there until it gets tired of it. In this way, the cunning marsupial kills two birds with one stone: it neutralizes one of the opponents and does not allow other members of the pack to bite it. After all, when a kangaroo goes into the water up to its chest, even the largest dog on the planet cannot touch the bottom with its paws. But nature hasn't gifted male kangaroos with powerful biceps to chase dogs. The muscles are needed to knead other kangaroos.



What's so tense? I just love hugging dogs!

The sex life of marsupials is a complete mess. They reproduce all year round, but the sexually mature female is pregnant 99% of the time. Kangaroo pregnancy is ultra-short - only 33 days. But there is a nuance: in any unclear situation, the female puts the development of the fetus on pause.



A newborn kangaroo looks more like an embryo. Which is not far from the truth. At this stage of development, children of placental mammals do not even think about leaving the womb.

While one baby sits in the pouch and drinks milk, the mother is already carrying the second one under her heart in waiting mode. Pregnancy is also paused during severe drought or from great stress. Thus, females constantly replenish the population without harm to themselves or their cubs.



A baby kangaroo only emerges from its pouch at the age of 10 months.

So it turns out that female kangaroos open their hearts to love for only a couple of weeks a year. During this short period of time, the female attracts the attention of all the guys in the area. But only one male, the strongest and most skilled in a fight, can achieve what he wants. Fights between kangaroos take place in full contact. It almost never comes to death, but bruises, sprains and fractures are common. This is the irony of a member of a fight club: only a few receive an award, but everyone, without exception, gets hit on the head.



When you and your brother couldn't share the last piece of marmalade.

The largest marsupial on the planet and the heavyweight champion became a problem for his native continent. Recent studies show that the lack of natural enemies, perfect adaptation to drought conditions and constant population growth lead to the fact that in protected areas kangaroos eat all the grass! People are to blame for this, who else? The population of marsupials has grown along with the increase in pastures for cattle. There are so many jumping fighters that they now enter new territories and eat vegetation where they should not. Their influence is even worse than the influence of the tragically famous visiting rabbits!