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| Macropus giganteus Shaw, 1790 |
The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is a marsupial found in southern and eastern Australia, with a population of several million. George Shaw ( December 10, 1751 - July 22, 1813) was an English Botanist and Zoologist. Year 1790 ( MDCCXC) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Marsupials are an Infraclass of Mammals characterized by a distinctive pouch (called the marsupium) in which females carry their young through For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Although a big Eastern Grey male typically weighs around 66 kg (145 lb.) and stands almost 2 m (6 ft.) tall, the scientific name, Macropus giganteus (gigantic large-foot), is misleading, as the Red Kangaroo of the semi-arid inland is larger. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The Red Kangaroo ( Macropus rufus) is the largest of all Kangaroos the largest Mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving
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Description
The Eastern Grey is easy to recognise: its soft grey coat is distinctive, and it is usually found in moister, more fertile areas than the Red. Alternative names for the species include Great Grey Kangaroo and Forester. Indigenous Australian names include iyirrbir (Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola) and kucha (Pakanh). Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. Uw Oykangand is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken in southern Cape York Peninsula, far north Queensland [3]
Ecology
Although the Red is better known by reputation, the Eastern Grey is the species most commonly seen in the flesh: few Australians visit the arid interior of the continent, while many live in and around the major cities of the south and east coast, from where it is usually only a short drive to the remaining pockets of near-city bushland where roos can be found without much difficulty. It prefers open grassland with areas of bush for daytime shelter. Like all kangaroos, it is mainly nocturnal and crepuscular, and is mostly seen early in the morning, or as the light starts to fade in the evening. A kangaroo is a Marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods meaning 'large foot' As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Crepuscular is a term used to describe animals that are primarily active during Twilight, hence at Dawn and at Dusk.
In more remote areas, the Eastern Grey occurs in great numbers, and if left unchecked reaches plague proportions. From time to time shooters are employed to reduce its numbers, almost always to the accompaniment of a public outcry. Given the very limited amount of fodder in dry years, however, the only other choice is starvation.
Speed
The Eastern Grey Kangaroo can travel very fast over land. The highest ever recorded speed of any kangaroo was 64 kilometres per hour (40 mph) set by a large female Eastern Grey Kangaroo. [4]
Status
It is often said that kangaroo populations have increased significantly since the European colonisation of Australia because of the increased areas of grassland (as opposed to forest), the reduction in Dingo numbers, and the availability of artificial watering holes. Description Appearance Adult dingoes are typically 48–58 cm (19–23 inches tall at the shoulders and weigh on average 23–32 kgs (50–70 pounds though specimens The current estimated population of the species numbers two million. [5]
While the Eastern Grey remains common, there are vast areas of country from which it has been exterminated (in general, it avoids humans), and most of the more fertile districts now carry crops or exotic pasture grasses which kangaroos tend not to eat. (One of the easiest ways to find kangaroos is to look for patches of remnant native grassland. )
References
- ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). Colin Groves is Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. in Wilson, D. E. , and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 64. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Macropus giganteus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006.
- ^ Hamilton, Philip. Eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus. Oykangand and Olkola Dictionary. Retrieved on 2007-02-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states
- ^ (2004) The Guiness Book of World Records, p. 53.
- ^ BBC - Science & Nature - Wildfacts - Eastern grey kangaroo
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