Study Finds Kangaroos Use Their Tail As A Fifth Leg
- 10 years ago
Researchers from the University of Colorado in Boulder working with Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia have found that kangaroos actually use their tail like a fifth leg when they’re hopping around or walking. For the study, researchers documented the movement of five red kangaroos in Sydney, Australia, which are the largest species of kangaroo, and the biggest marsupial on the planet.
Researchers from the University of Colorado in Boulder working with Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia have found that kangaroos actually use their tail like a fifth leg when they’re hopping around or walking.
For the study, researchers documented the movement of five red kangaroos in Sydney, Australia, which are the largest species of kangaroo, and the biggest marsupial on the planet.
Red kangaroos can reach speeds of more than 35 miles an hour; they can also cover an area 25 feet long, and get up to six feet high in one jump, using their tail like a spring to give them more power.
Study leader Maxwell Donelan from Simon Fraser University is quoted as saying: “We measured the forces the tail exerts on the ground and calculated the mechanical power it generates, and found that the tail is responsible for more propulsive force than the front and hind legs combined.”
When kangaroos are grazing, they move their hind pairs of feet together, which makes their movement seem awkward, but the power behind them in their tail is keeping them balanced.
Researchers from the University of Colorado in Boulder working with Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia have found that kangaroos actually use their tail like a fifth leg when they’re hopping around or walking.
For the study, researchers documented the movement of five red kangaroos in Sydney, Australia, which are the largest species of kangaroo, and the biggest marsupial on the planet.
Red kangaroos can reach speeds of more than 35 miles an hour; they can also cover an area 25 feet long, and get up to six feet high in one jump, using their tail like a spring to give them more power.
Study leader Maxwell Donelan from Simon Fraser University is quoted as saying: “We measured the forces the tail exerts on the ground and calculated the mechanical power it generates, and found that the tail is responsible for more propulsive force than the front and hind legs combined.”
When kangaroos are grazing, they move their hind pairs of feet together, which makes their movement seem awkward, but the power behind them in their tail is keeping them balanced.