|
 |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
Wallaroo, euro, hill kangaroo - MACROPUS ROBUSTUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Kangaroo": Derived from a native Australian word, probably from the Queensland area. "Wallaroo" is from the native Australian word "walaru." "Euro" does not mean "European," but also comes from a native Australian word.
Location: Australia.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Stony ground, rock outcrops, eroded scrubland.
Description: The euro is a stocky kangaroo with relatively short hind legs and a long tapering tail. It has long coarse fur of dark gray to reddish-brown. But the coloration varies among the subspecies, and females may be lighter in color. In males the head and body length is from 40" to 50", and the average weight is 90 lbs, although females are much smaller.
Behavior: Discontinuous in range all across Australia, the several subspecies of euro have a predilection for rocky areas, which afford daytime shelter in caves or crevices for cooling. In their absence, however, a euro may dig under a mulga bush to escape the daytime heat. With adequate shelter it is known to survive for long periods without water, deriving moisture from its diet of grass. Its urine is concentrated to conserve body water. The euro is nocturnal in hot weather, but active in daytime, too, in cool seasons. It is sedentary and the most solitary of all kangaroo species, sometimes seen in pairs, or a mother will be seen with its young.
Reproduction: The euro has delayed implantation, postponing birth until after a drought has passed. Normal gestation is about one month. Breeding and births can occur throughout the year. The single young leaves the pouch permanently after about 250 days old.
Go to the Marsupials Page, to get a general discussion of these animals.
Or go to the Kangaroo Index to study more kangaroos.
From Address Labels to Zoo Toys... All Creatures Great and Small You'll Find It at the America Zoo Gift Shop Realistic Stuffed Animals & Animal Figurines Wildlife Decor for Your Home Animal Books, Magazines, and Educational Materials A Wide Variety of Wildlife Gifts & Apparel and Much, Much More  ↓ For Your Favorite Little Animal Lover ↓
Home Animal Research Library About AmericaZoo
|
