What Is The Difference Between Red Kangaroos And Grey Kangaroos?
The Grey Kangaroo:
There are two species of grey kangaroos, Eastern grey (Macropus giganteous) and Western grey (Macropus fuliginosus). An Eastern grey could weigh a little over 65 kilograms and has a two-metre long body, while a Western grey weighs less than 55 kilograms with a 85 – 100 centimetres long body. Eastern greys range in the Eastern Queensland, New South Wales, and Victorian territories, while Western greys are ranging in Western Australia, through a small stripe running along South Australia, Victoria, up to Southern Queensland. The gestation periods in both greys are 30 – 31 days but the time duration inside mother’s pouch greatly differs within them. The neonates live much longer in Eastern greys up to 550 days inside the pouch, whereas in Western greys they live only 130 – 150 days there. Eastern grey kangaroos have small open-membership groups consisting only 2 -3 females with their young. Western grey kangaroos have larger groups up to 15 members of females.
The Red Kangaroo:
Red kangaroo, Macropus rufus, is the largest mammal of Australia. A fully-grown adult male could weigh about 135 kilograms and the body length could measure up to three metres. Their distribution is quite wide and covers all the state territories on the Australian mainland. The foetus stays 33 days inside mother’s womb and comes out into the pouch as a neonate. Then, the neonate feeds on oozing milk inside the mother’s pouch for about 190 days. After that, the offspring or Joey sticks out the head from the pouch and live there for another 30 – 40 days and come out of mother permanently. Red kangaroos have small groups of 2 -4 members, but sometimes there could be more than that with males also. There could also be only one male in a group, known as the alpha male for reproductive purposes only. The male of these groups does not involve in fighting with youngsters as long as there is no competitor with him for the females. However, the younger males often clash with each other in boxing-type fights for females, but oestrous females usually prefer alpha males.
June 29, 2020
