Different marsupials inhabit different places in the Australian ecology. The kangaroo grazes on grass like deer and cattle. The koala lives in trees, like a monkey. The Tasmanian devil attacks and eats other marsupials, like a dog. The wombat burrows underground like a groundhog. And the kangaroo rat scurries around eating grain like their rodent namesakes. Kangaroos are called macropods, which means "big foot." When they stand up tall, they are on their tip toes. And what looks to be a backward bending knee is actually the heel of their foot. But this huge foot helps them leap great distances. A kangaroo can leap away faster than a horse can run. It can jump 11-foot fences in a bound, and broadjump over 40 feet routinely. Although they are about the same size as an average-sized man, these athletic feats put to shame even the very best records of our human athletes. Kangaroos are ideally suited to their desert life, and are able to go without water longer than even a camel! What does "marsupial" mean? Pouched animal. The koala is not a bear. Indeed, it has more in common with the tailless chimpanzee than a bear, but it is not closely related to either. The koala's feet have an opposable big toe to help grasp branches, and long claws to hold onto the bark of the eucalyptus trees that it inhabits. Koalas sleep during the day, so when zoo-goers visit the koalas they seem to be a lazy animal. But at night they are quite active, and can jump from tree to tree with the security of an agile monkey. Most curious about the koala is that it eats the leaves of only a few of the 600 types of eucalyptus trees. In fact, it smells each and every leaf before putting it in its mouth. And it is able to get virtually all its water just from these leaves. It is thought that the word "koala" is an Aborigine word for "doesn't drink water." The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial, meaning that it eats meat rather than plants. It is about the size of a small dog, but it can be extremely pugnacious, which means it LIKES to fight. And it can hold on once it bites like the strongest pit bull dog. They are found only on the small island of Tasmania, and they are among a small group of carnivorous marsupials that are either already extinct, or headed that way. The wombat is an interesting looking animal that burrows underground like a large mole or groundhog. It is the most closely related animal to the koala. Because its pouch would pile up with dirt if it were open on top like a kangaroo's pouch, the entrance to a wombat's pouch is from the rear. This is also the case with koalas. Although most female marsupials have pouches that are facing up, some marsupials only have a fold of skin rather than a full pouch, and some do not have a pouch at all. One of the cuter, tiny marsupials is the rat kangaroo. Its legs are quite similarly shaped to those of a full-grown kangaroo, and it gets around with the same hopping motion. It fills the same ecological niche in the fields as do field rats and mice in North America. The Australian marsupials are in danger of extinction because of the introduction of many true mammals into Australia, such as dogs, foxes, rabbits, goats and pigs. You can read more about this problem by clicking on the dog (dingo) on the map of Australia. Return to the Australia. Outstanding Kids' Magazines ↓  For Your Favorite Little Animal Lover  ↓ Home Animal Research Library About AmericaZoo Lesley Fountain  ♦  P. O. Box 215, Fortuna, CA 95540  ♦  Voicemail 1-214-292-9404 email-us @ americazoo.com