In Australia kangaroos are a familiar sight, hopping quickly across the plains. There are more than twice as many kangaroos as people in Australia.
Red kangaroos are the largest of the four species of kangaroos, and the largest marsupial there is. (Marsupials are mammals that carry their growing babies in a pouch.) The largest red kangaroo measured was nearly seven feet high and weighed just over 200 pounds.
Kangaroos are the only large animal that hops as its main way to travel around. They easily cover 25 to 30 feet in a single jump, but one was measured to go 42 feet in a single jump! Hopping actually saves them energy, as the faster they jump, the less energy they burn, at least up to their normal jumping speed of around 20 miles per hour. They have been given specially designed legs and feet that act like springs and make it possible for them to jump. Their big tails are used to help maintain balance as they jump.
Kangaroos live where temperatures reach over 100 degrees. They sweat as long as they are jumping, but once they stop, different ways to cool down begin. First, they pant, up to 300 breaths a minute. This helps to cool them. They also have hundreds of small blood vessels close to the skin of their front arms. They lick this area, and the evaporation of their saliva works to cool their blood. They also spend as much time in the shade as possible. Many of their fights are over the best spots in the shade.
Kangaroos are very social animals that live in groups called mobs. Mobs can range from a small group to one that has over 100 kangaroos. Reigning over the mob is the strongest male kangaroo. He uses his strong arms to punch and his hind legs to kick as he boxes with any kangaroo male that challenges his place. Mother kangaroos teach their babies to fight, because it is such an important skill for them to have.
Kangaroos seem to do a lot of fighting. Did you know that the Bible speaks of more than one kind of fighting that we should do? Our opening verses show us that the enemy in one of these fights is ... ourselves. Earlier verses speak of needing self-control so that we can run the Christian race. Self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit and is very important in our lives. Sometimes we may feel like we are having a big fight with ourselves so that we don’t give into something wrong or so that we do something right. This is a good fight to have, and one the Lord will always help us with if we ask Him to.
(to be continued)
Did You Know?
Kangaroos can easily cover 25 to 30 feet in a single jump.
Messages of God’s Love 6/9/2024