![]() ![]() Entomology - Importance of Entomology. Numbers and Biodiversity of Insects. Despite their small size, the sheer numbers. Although insects have never adapted to a truly marine environment, they. Some have adapted. The Mountain Pygmy-possum is Australia’s only hibernating marsupial. There are thought to be less than 2000 Mountain Pygmy Possums left in the wild.The Thorny Devil Lizard Also called Moloch, Horny Devil, Thorny Lizard, Thorny Dragon. Thorny Devils (Moloch horridus) are another popular example of the Australian. THE LIFE CYCLE OF BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS (LEPIDOPTERA) © REG FRY 2014 CLICK HERE FOR THE MAIN INDEX OF SPECIES ETC. The life cycle or life history of Butterflies and. Unique Australian Animals (Mammals, Marsupials, Reptiles, birds acquatic etc) Plenty of info and pics. Kangaroo What is a Kangaroo? Kangaroos are large hopping marsupials belonging to the Macropodidae family. The name macropod means 'big foot'. The four largest. Ants, Carpenter: While the name might fit they should have been called syrup ant, or sap ants. Some 99% of their diet is liquid, usually from aphids or vegetation. With few exceptions, adult butterflies and moths eat only various liquids to maintain their water balance and energy stores. Most adults sip flower nectar, but other. DUGONG (Seacow) The Dugong (sometimes refered to as a "Seacow") is a mammal, that is, it suckles its young. Dugongs are large grey mammals which spend their entire. Their species richness or diversity. It has been said that insects. This relative diversity may be appreciated by a speciescape whereby the. We do not know how many species of insects there are. There are about 1. It has taken about 3. Estimates of actual species richness vary from less than 5 million. Figures at the higher end of these estimates are. ![]() ![]() Information about what moths eat and how to prevent moth infestations. ![]() Obviously there are many years (if not centuries) of work for insect taxonomists. Composition of insects. Beetles are the largest group (or order) of insects. They have roles as prey. TOPWhy are insects so successful? There are many attributes of insects that have allowed for their success. Small size - there are many more niches for small organisms than for. For instance, one insect could live solely on and in. Short life cycle - this allows many generations within a given time. The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the second-largest living bird by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the. Large reproductive ability - large numbers of offspring support a large. Variation in the life style of different stages in an insect's life. Wings- the ability to fly is relatively rare outside insects and has. Sensory sophistication - the sensory capabilities of insects surpasses. Evolutionary interactions with other organisms - coevolution leads to. Adaptation of appendages - mouthparts, wings and legs have often become. TOPEconomic importance - how do insects affect us? An insect may be of benefit to us or be regarded as a pest. Most are beneficial or have an indirect influence. Fewer than 0. 1% are regarded as pests. Advantageous effects Plant pollination. Pollination by animals is more effective than by wind. Most higher plants. Production of products - honey. Australia), silk. Bombyx mori), shellac. Spanish. fly' (a beetle and supposed aphrodisiac). Nutrient recycling - by detritus and dung feeders and particularly in Australia. Human food - over 5. Australian. aborigines regularly ate honeypot ants, adult bogong moths and the larvae. Insect collecting. Western hobby and there is a small industry in arthropod pets. Detrimental effects. Destruction or spoilage of food (both fresh and stored) and crops (including. Damage to goods - leather, paper, textiles, (by beetles, cockroaches. Direct disease of humans or livestock. Disease vectors. Venoms, allergies, urtication. Nuisance value - bush flies, ants. Phobias - such as arachnophobia. TOPCopyright . Last updated February, 2. Site. construction and maintenance: e. The name macropod means 'big foot'. The four largest macropods are called kangaroos. These are the Red Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo,Western Grey Kangaroo and Antilopine Kangaroo. Kangaroos have an upright posture supported by two large hind legs and feet, small forelimbs and a large thick tail. Using hopping as their primary mode of locomotion kangaroos can easily cruise along at 3. A male kangaroo is called a boomer. A female kangaroo is called a flyer. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. Related Article: Not All Hopping Marsupials are Kangaroos — Learn why. Description of the Kangaroo What Do Kangaroos Look Like? General Description. Kangaroos have short fur that varies in colour from orange- brown, to grey to dark brown. Males are larger than females. Being marsupials, the females have pouches on their abdomen in which they carry and raise their young. Kangaroos live for 6 to 2. Eyes & Ears. A kangaroo's eyes are located high on its skull and provide it with a 3. Its eyesight has a sensitivity comparable with that of rabbits, cattle or horses. Kangaroos have large pointed ears which can swivel independently of each other through 1. Large molars at the back of its mouth chop and grinds its food. The kangaroo replaces its teeth throughout its life. New teeth grow and slowly move forward replacing those in front which have been worn down or damaged. Four sets of replacement teeth are produced during the animal's lifetime, after which lost teeth are no longer replaced. If the animal hasn't died of old age by then, it will eventually die of starvation because it has no teeth left. Sound (Vocalisation)Kangaroos have very small almost non- existence vocal chords. For this reason they have a very limited range of vocal sounds. A mother communicates with her offspring with clicking sounds. An alarmed kangaroo may hiss and growl. A kangaroo may display aggression by making a . A male kangaroo may also make a chuckling sound during courtship. Fore- Limbs (Arms)The kangaroo has short small forelimbs with hands on which there are five clawed fingers. These hands are used primarily for grasping and pulling down branches, fighting and grooming. They are also used for pentalpedaling (crawl- walking). The kangaroo has an unusual way of keeping cool. It licks its forelimbs covering them with saliva, and as the saliva evaporates its helps to cool its body. Hind Legs. The kangaroo uses its powerful hind legs for hopping, its primary means of locomotion. It has extraordinarily large and long Achilles tendons that store elastic energy used to assist it in hopping. The kangaroo has long narrow feet with four toes each. Its feet have soft pads, like that of a cat or dog. The first toe no longer plays any important role. The second toe is large and strong with a massive claw. It is used to provide traction when it is hopping. The third and fourth toes are fused, covered by skin, but still have two small claws. The kangaroo used these two smaller toes for grooming. While highly efficient at higher speeds the kangaroo's hind legs are ineffective at low speeds and hardly used. It uses pentapedaling locomotion at slow speeds. The kangaroo also uses its feet as an alarm by 'foot thumping' one or both of its feet. It is not certain if this behaviour is to alert other kangaroos of danger or as a warning to a predator to stay away, or both. Tail. The kangaroo's large thick tail serves a number of purposes. Without it a kangaroo wouldn't be able to stand up, hop or move at slow speeds. It is also where a kangaroo stores excess fat for use in times of hardship. When a kangaroo stands, its tail acts as the third point of a tripod and prevents it from toppling over backwards. The tail also serves a similar purpose when a kangaroo springs up from a standstill position. While hopping, the tail acts are a counterbalance to its body, preventing the kangaroo from tipping forward. At slow speeds the tail is a vital part of its pentapedaling movement. The kangaroo also stands up on its tail when it is fighting. Pouch. Beings a marsupial mammal, the female kangaroo raises its offspring in a pouch and feeds it milk. The pouch is located on its abdomen. A young kangaroo, which is born very immature, crawls up from the mother's birth canal to the pouch where it attaches itself to a nipple and remains for over four months before it ventures out. Even adolescent kangaroos will hop back into their mothers pouch when frightened. Male kangaroos don't have pouches. Other Facts. Surprisingly, for an animals which spends most of its life in dry arid areas, kangaroos are also good swimmers. Kangaroos move about in small social groups called 'mobs' or 'troops'. How Does a Kangaroo Move? Kangaroos Hop and Jump. Locomotion by Hopping. As with all macropods, kangaroos have very strong hind legs and large feet specially designed for hopping. It has perfected this mode of locomotion to make it one of the fastest and most efficient methods of traveling over the vast distances the animal travels in search of food. A kangaroo's legs have muscles just like all other animals. The difference is that it has evolved a very efficient and different means of moving around. It hops instead of walking. It is the only large animal that uses this method of locomotion. The kangaroo's legs are specially designed for this purpose. Because of the unusual shape of these legs and its bulky tail, a kangaroo can't walk. Using this method of locomotion a Red Kangaroo, for example, usually hops at a speed of about 2. It can also speed away at over 7. These kangaroos have been recorded travelling up to 2. A single hop from a kangaroo can cover up to 8 meters! A human stride is only about 1 meter. Even an elephant can only manage about 2. How Does it Work? A Kangaroo's legs look like powerful compression springs at work. When it hops its legs compress, bringing its toes towards its body. This looks like a spring being compressed. Then its toes move away from its body and its bounces up like a spring being released. The concept is similar to how a Pogo Stick works. The actual mechanics are not what it seems. In fact the kangaroo gets its bounce from its Achilles tendons and ligaments in the back of its legs which store and return energy with each hop. These act like giant stretching and shrinking rubber bands. When its legs compress, its tendons get stretched. Then the energy stored in the stretched tendon, referred to as elastic potential energy, together with contracting muscles start pulling the bottom part of the leg downwards giving the animal a springing bounce back into the air. In this way a Kangaroo uses very little energy to move itself about. Kangaroo Hopping is Super Efficient. Scientist suggest that the red kangaroo has the most efficient method of locomotion of any ground animal in the world. As it travels faster and faster it actually uses less and less energy. At speeds above 1. If a foxhound were to chase a kangaroo, it would consume twice as much energy as the kangaroo and would tire out in less than 2 kilometres. The kangaroo, on the other hand, could go another 2. Kangaroo Hopping is Silent. Kangaroos move extremely quietly compared to other animals. You would hardly notice a mob of kangaroos whooshing silently past you at top speed. An equivalent number or deer, which are similar in body sizes, would create quite a loud racket. The reason for this is the kangaroo's soft padded feet, relatively small footprint and the fact the only two feet touch the ground. How Kangaroos (Increase) Speed. Kangaroos increase their speed by increasing the length of their hops, not the frequency of hops. When its wants to go slow it takes small hops. When it wants to go fast it takes giant hops. All other animals increase the speed of each step, with only a very small increase in their stride. How Fast Can a Kangaroo Go? The fastest kangaroo is the red kangaroo. It has been recorded at speeds of up to 6. At this speed each of its . Because hopping is super- efficient, it can also maintain this speed for a long period of time without exhausting itself. A Kangaroo Can 'Turn on a Dime'Because the kangaroo uses bi- pedal (two legs like humans) locomotion it can easily pivot on one foot and rapidly change direction. It is claimed that it can make a 1. Four- legged animals with their relatively long bodies cannot turn as rapidly. A Kangaroo Can't Move Backwards. A Kangaroo can make very limited hops backwards when fighting. It cannot however actually do so as a means of locomotion. A Kangaroo Can't Walk. A Kangaroo cannot walk forward or backwards by moving its legs independently. The kangaroo can, however actually move its legs independently it just can't do so for walking. A Kangaroo Can't Move its Legs Independently. A kangaroo can move its legs independently when required but while hopping kangaroos usually move both hind legs together. The independent movement of its legs occur when the animal is turning while it is hopping, when it places one leg slightly in front of the other to execute a turn. When it uses its feet in 'foot thumping' to warn other kangaroos of danger and when swimming. How High Can a Kangaroo Jump? Did You Know. The largest non- marsupial animal to hop is the rabbit, which hops using all four legs. The red kangaroo hold the high jump record too. It can jump as high as three meters. Hopping Doesn't Work Well at Slow Speeds. At low speeds, however, a kangaroo is far less agile. Its super- efficient hopping legs let it down. Kangaroo - Slow Speed Locomotion. Kangaroo Pentapedaling Video. Despite the kangaroo's reputation for gracefully hopping through the landscape, it actually spends more time moving at more leisurely pace of about 6 kilometres an hour as it feeds and socialises with other kangaroos. At this speed its movements are ungainly indeed. While highly efficient at higher speeds, a kangaroo's hind legs are cumbersome and almost useless at lower speeds. The kangaroo has adapted to this shortcoming by developing a fifth leg! Where is it, your wonder? It's the kangaroo's tail.
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