Interestingly, marsupial animals of Australia are in no way related to the placental representatives of the fauna, that is, for example, the marsupial wolf and the ordinary (placental) are far from the same animal. But family ties bind marsupials among themselves. For some reason, there is not a single “native” placental mammal in Australia, although its living conditions are similar to Asian ones! Now we will introduce you to some species of Australian marsupials: kangaroos, koalas and wombats.
Kangaroo - to all jumper jumpers
This herbivorous marsupial, living in Australia, there are almost 50 species known. The story of its name is pretty funny. Once the Europeans landed in Australia. The first thing that caught their eye was precisely this animal. They tried to find out from local aborigines what this mammal is called, to which they were given the answer: "Kangaroo!"
The Europeans naturally thought that this was the name of the local outlandish beast, but this was not at all! Much later, everyone learned that the “kangaroo” in translation from the native language is “I do not understand!” And the name "kangaroo" has taken root and finally stuck to this amazing animal.
Australia marsupials are simply unique creations! Of these, the kangaroo is perhaps the most peculiar and amazing mammal. It is especially touching when a curious face of a kangaroo cub peeps out of her mother’s bag. After a moment, he jumps out of his mother’s “pocket” and starts frolic, but if there is any danger, he immediately jumps back to his mother (no matter how strange it sounds). Kangaroos are peaceful creatures, but they are able to fend for themselves and the cubs. Their hind, very strong limbs are a serious "weapon" that can inflict terrible wounds on the enemy. The kangaroo quickly transfers the weight of the whole body to its strong and elastic tail, and with its free hind legs it inflicts a crushing blow right on the target! But, like all peaceful animals, these creatures prefer to flee, and fight only in extreme cases. The kangaroo rushes in giant jerks, pushing off by powerful hind limbs. Surprisingly, the length of one jump reaches 12 meters, and its height is up to 3 meters!
No wonder this marsupial animal of Australia was called the best jumper on our planet!
"Eucalyptus Bear"
Koalas, or otherwise “eucalyptus bears”, are Australia's marsupial animals like kangaroos. They spend their whole lives on eucalyptus trees, eating only their young leaves and shoots. Koalas sleep for 18 hours (!) Per day (look at the photo). Previously, these "bears" were valuable to humans because of their fur, but now hunting for them is strictly prohibited. Although, unfortunately, poachers can be found everywhere.
A wombat sits in a trench, like a battalion commander
Another marsupial animals of Australia are wombats. They live on the surface of the earth or in holes dug by them, resembling trenches. In one such "trench" there may be several wombats. These animals are active at night: it was at this time that they went on their “herbivorous” hunt - to feed on grass and the roots of various plants.
Here they are amazing and unique - marsupial animals of Australia!
