Kangaroo
Kangaroo
Kangaroo (/kæŋɡəˈruː/; from the Guugu Yimithirr word gangurru) is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot").
Etymology
The word "kangaroo" derives from the Guugu Yimithirr word gangurru, referring to grey kangaroos. The name was first recorded as "kanguru" on 12 July 1770 in an entry in the diary of Sir Joseph Banks; this occurred at the site of modern Cooktown, on the banks of the Endeavour River, where HMS Endeavour under the command of Lieutenant James Cook was beached for almost seven weeks to repair damage sustained on the Great Barrier Reef.
Species
Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea. The Australian government estimates that 34.3 million kangaroos lived within the commercial harvest areas of Australia in 2011, up from 25.1 million one year earlier.
There are four species that are commonly referred to as kangaroos:
- The red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) is the largest surviving marsupial anywhere in the world.
- The eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is less well-known than the red (outside of Australia), but the most often seen, as its range covers the fertile eastern part of the country.
- The western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) is slightly smaller again at about 54 kg (119 lb) for a large male. It is found in the southern part of Western Australia, South Australia near the coast, and the Murray River valley.
- The antilopine kangaroo (Macropus antilopinus) can be found in the monsoonal eucalyptus woodlands of northern Australia.
Related Terms
- Marsupial: A group of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young.
- Macropod: A family of marsupials that includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, pademelons, and several others.
- Wallaby: Any of about thirty species of Macropus genus. They are smaller than kangaroos and distributed widely across Australia and neighbouring islands.
- Pademelon: Small marsupials of the genus Thylogale. They are usually found in forests.
- Tree-kangaroo: They are the only true arboreal macropods.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Kangaroo
- Wikipedia's article - Kangaroo
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