What is kangaroo?

What Does kangaroo Mean

A term of Australian origin derived in English Kangaroo , which came to our language as Kangaroo . A kangaroo is a herbivorous and mammalian animal that is part of the marsupial group : those species that incubate their young in a ventral pouch where the breasts are.

Kangaroos are native to Oceania and can live for about eighteen years. They move by jumping thanks to their large feet and very powerful hind legs. The long tail allows them to maintain balance and is even used as a support when they are standing.
It is possible to differentiate between various species of kangaroos. The red kangaroo , whose scientific name is Macropus rufus , is the largest marsupial today. It can be more than 1.5 meters long and weigh about 90 kilograms. These kangaroos move in herds, concentrating their activity at night to better cope with the high temperatures of their habitat.

The giant kangaroo ( Macropus giganteus ) and the western gray kangaroo ( Macropus fuliginosus ) are other species of kangaroos that can be found in Australia and other regions of Oceania .
There is a series of species of marsupials called wallaby , which many confuse with kangaroos, although it is precisely those that do not reach the body dimensions to enter that group. There are about thirty species of wallabies, which arose in Australia and New Guinea. The maximum length of these animals is around 1.2 m and their maximum known weight is 42 kg.
In addition to height and weight, there are other differences that help to quickly distinguish a kangaroo from a wallaby. For example, the legs of the first are more extensive in relation to the rest of the body, especially the segment that goes from the ankle to the knee, and this makes them appear disproportionate .
This difference in the length of the limbs results in the speed at which each animal can move and the type of terrain in which they develop with greater agility: kangaroos are very fast on large plains, while wallabies move very dexterity in the woods, since their bodies are more compact.
The food is another aspect that clearly differentiates these two types of marsupials. The wallaby lives in the forests and its favorite dish is the leaves, which it can eat without problem thanks to the flat shape of its premolars, ideal for crushing and crushing them, while using its pronounced incisor for occasional cuts.
The kangaroo, for its part, has ridged teeth and molars with accentuated crowns that allow them to cut stems of herbs, although it also feeds on roots.

Kangaroo is a concept that can also refer to the coat that has a hood and a large pocket on the front and the harness that is placed on the upper half of the body to carry a baby.
In the colloquial language of Spain , on the other hand, the young person who is dedicated to the care of children when their parents leave the house for a not too long time is called a babysitter . A kangaroo, in this sense, is a babysitter .
It is important to note that, unlike what happens with the term kangaroo with the meaning expressed at the beginning of the definition (that is, as a kind of marsupial), when it serves to refer to a person who cares for another it can be used both in feminine as well as masculine: while we speak of "the male kangaroo" and "the female kangaroo," we say that "the kangaroo is taking care of my child" or that "this boy is an excellent kangaroo . "

Go up