Kangaroos are the best jumpers of our planet: the length of one jump is three meters in height and about twelve in length. They are moved by huge jumps at a speed of about 50 km / h, pushing off from the surface with strong hind legs, while an important role is assigned to the tail, which acts as a balance and helps to keep the balance.
Therefore, to catch up with the animal is impossible, especially since during flight it is capable of everything: once a red big kangaroo, fleeing from farmers, jumped a three-meter fence. If someone who wants to taste meat kangaroos, still be lucky to overtake it, marsupial will set in motion the hind legs. To do this, he will transfer the entire weight of the body to the tail, and releasing both hind legs will inflict terrible wounds on the enemy.
The representatives of the family dwell in both arid regions and tropical forests in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, the Bismarck Islands. In the late XIX – early XX century. Not bad took roots in Germany and England, successfully multiplied and even well tolerated snowy winters, but against poachers who completely exterminated them, were powerless.
Depending on the species, family members have a length of 25 cm (plus 45 cm – tail) to 1.6 m (tail – 1 m), and weigh from 18 to 100 kg. The largest individual is a resident of the Australian continent – a redhead large, and the heaviest is an oriental gray kangaroo. The marsupial fur is soft, dense, can be gray, black, red flowers and their shades.
Kangaroo animal is interesting because its upper part is poorly developed. The head is small, the muzzle can be either long or short. The shoulders are narrow, the front legs short, weak, devoid of hair, have five fingers, but are armed with very sharp claws. The toes are very mobile and the animal uses them for grasping, nourishing, combing the wool.
But the lower part of the body is developed: hind legs, long thick tail, thighs – very strong, four fingers on the leg, the second and third connect the membrane, on the fourth there is a strong claw. This structure gives the opportunity to successfully defend with powerful blows from the hind legs, and quickly move (with the tail replacing the marsupial steering wheel). To move back these animals are incapable – this is not allowed by too large a tail and a form of hind legs.
