Woody Kangaroo - description, habitat, lifestyle

Wood Kangaroo refers to the inhabitants of New Guinea and Australia. These representatives differ from the self-like not only in their habits, but also in their mode of existence. If the rest of the relatives spend most of their life on earth, then the discussed individuals hide in the crowns of the trees. Actually for this reason, they got their name. Animals can live upstairs long enough, eat, sleep and have fun there. The main enemy is human activity, this species is on the verge of extinction.

Description

1. The individuals of the family under discussion are quite unpredictable; they differ from their relatives in their external data. In height, they grow to a maximum of 1.7 m. Although representatives of 1.3-1.5 m are often found. About 70 cm are allotted to the tail, another 0.5-0.8 m is occupied by the head with the body. As for the mass case, it fluctuates, and very much. Depending on the fatness of individuals, indicators range from 5 to 17 kg.
2. In the upper section, the body is pigmented in gray-brown or black. The lower part is preferably white areas. The lower limbs are shortened, which distinguishes these representatives of the family from terrestrial species. However, the sole of the feet is wide and large; sharp and long claws are present on the fingers, which allow individuals to climb trees.
3. The ears are rounded in shape, the muzzle is short, especially when compared with similar relatives. The tail is lowered, it is necessary for balancing and maintaining balance during movements and jumps. When the animal moves, its body stands horizontally, and not vertically, like other members of the family.
4. Separately, the topic of gender differences should be addressed. Many people try to distinguish a male from a female in terms of overall features, but this is a deliberately losing business. Sexual dimorphism is practically not expressed, as a result of which it is difficult to say for sure which individual of the sex is in front of the eyes.

Nutrition

1. The basis of the diet is food of plant origin. Individuals can get it in the crowns of trees, where they spend most of their life, or in the land way. The basis of the menu includes foliage, as well as small blades of grass and twigs. Due to the fact that food is not famous for its high energy value, this species of kangaroo is quite voracious.
2. When the animal is hungry, it pulls on the branch, thereby attracting leaves to itself. An individual picks and absorbs foliage in huge portions. If the food is not digested, the animal induces vomiting. Subsequently, it can become a meal. Due to the mobility of the hands of the upper limbs, many kangaroos wield their paws, bending and unbending fingers, wanting to get food.

Behavior

1. Individuals of the presented species are more common in the territory of New Guinea and Australia. They prefer to live in tropical places, which are located 3 km. up above sea level. These are hard-to-reach places, which makes it difficult to learn behavior.
2. If you follow the already known data, animals spend most of their lives in trees. They are located on thick branches, constantly chewing, sleeping and basking in the shade. When the animal is hungry, it can leave the shelter, setting off in search of food at night.
3. Unlike other animals, these kangaroos do not jump, but run. Their body is otherwise formed, as a result of which it is not possible to jump. A group of 3 individuals takes part in the hunt for food.

Breeding

1. These animals differ from the like ones in that they can mate year-round. This is due to the habitat. In rainy areas there is always food. Animals do not save energy, so they easily find a mate and are engaged in building a family.
2. When a male meets a female, she makes strange sounds. In this way, the male wants to attract the attention of the opposite sex. Sounds like chicken clucking. If the female turns away, the man patiently waits and strokes her tail. After courtship mating begins.
3. It often happens that several males may be interested in one female. In this case, fairly serious fights begin to occur between individuals of the stronger sex. Such skirmishes strongly resemble classic boxing.
4. It is noteworthy that among animals there are no certain rules, and especially sports ethics. Therefore, individuals may well attack without warning even from the back. After the winner is revealed, he gets the female.
5. After mating, the female continues to bear offspring for only 1 month. As a result, only one baby is born. The cub immediately climbs into the bag and continues to develop there. He does not stop eating breast milk for a long time. The baby is in complete safety in the bag.

Enemies

1. The problem basically lies in the fact that due to mass deforestation, some subspecies of the individuals under consideration are on the verge of extinction. Animals die out quickly enough.
2. In some parts of the world, certain types of animals continue to be hunted by people for industrial purposes. Because of this feature, most species of kangaroos are protected. But as statistics show, this does not stop poachers.

Data

1. It is noteworthy that in Australia the individuals in question were nicknamed "Bungari."
2. Locals in New Guinea continue to hunt these animals for meat. Love constantly climb trees to catch an individual. Most often, hunters grab a kangaroo by the tail.
3. It is interesting that such an animal can jump from a height of up to 18 m. At the same time, nothing will happen to the individual.
4. The animals in question do not jump on the ground. In such an area they run fast enough. Due to the long claws and short paws, such individuals perfectly climb trees.

Status

1. It is curious that individuals belong to rather rare animals. The number of such animals is extremely low. This is due to the fact that they live in a limited area. Such individuals are extremely cautious and try to behave unnoticed.
2. They are constantly hiding in the crowns of trees. Because of this characteristic feature, animal biology is poorly understood. Kangaroos have a remote habitat. Mostly animals live in humid tropics.
3. Moreover, such territories belong to the UNESCO World Heritage. Therefore, it is simply impossible to get to individuals. A plus can be considered that in such areas, animals are not affected by human activity.
4. It is noteworthy that almost all subspecies of such individuals are under protection. However, despite this, animals in some places are at potential risk. As mentioned earlier, people still hunt such animals.

Nevertheless, hunting has practically no effect on the number of individuals; deforestation is the main problem of extinction of animals. Due to the fact that the kangaroos have slightly expanded their habitat, they descended from the highlands to the lying forests. It is in this area that deforestation occurs. Animals die en masse.

Video: Woody Kangaroo (Dendrolagus)