Why kangaroo hop

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Time limit is exhausted. Why do Kangaroos Hop Instead of Walk. You might also like More from author. Prev Next. Leave A Reply.

Sign in. Welcome, Login to your account. Forget password? Remember me. By transitioning from that horizontal position, when the feet are on the ground, to being quasi-vertical, the tail's downward thrust helps propel the kangaroo up. This counterbalance effect is similar to what happens when you ride a see-saw. Put all of this together, and what do you have?

The red kangaroo motors along at average speeds of 15 to 20 mph 24 to 32 kph [source: Domico ]. A single hop can propel it 25 feet 7. Your backyard trampoline might be the closest way you'll ever get to experience kangaroo travel.

So what's the point of these Aussie aerobics? It's all about conservation. To figure out exactly why kangaroos hop, researcher Terence Dawson hooked roos to treadmills and measured their speeds and energy outputs [source: Flannery].

The result? At higher speeds, kangaroo hopping ranks among the most energy efficient means of land travel in the animal kingdom [source: Dawson]. You see, when kangaroos speed up, they don't increase the frequency of their hops, but rather the range. The greater the range, the more energy they harness in their muscles and tendons after they touch down. With a heart twice as big as comparably sized mammals, kangaroos have a naturally strong physical endurance [source: Flannery].

Even their respiratory systems operate more effectively during this exercise. At lower speeds, however, the efficiency drops off [source: Dawson]. When a kangaroo needs to graze or move slowly, it uses its tail as a fifth leg, balancing back on it and shifting forward with its smaller front legs, referred to as pentapedal walking [source: Dawson]. Kangaroos don't walk on all fours because, except when swimming, they can't move their hind legs independently of each other [source: Myers ].

Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. The tail is also important, acting both as a balancing aid and a counterweight, propelling the animal into each leap. The jumping motion drives their gut up and down, which inflates and deflates their lungs for them. Kangaroos usually hop at about 25kph, though they can reach 70kph over short distances, covering as much as 9m in a single hop.

This energy-efficient way of travelling means they can cover vast distances in search of food and water, allowing them to thrive in the harsh climate of the Australian outback.