What behavioral characteristics of the koala help it to survive?

Answer 1

• Kangaroos are able to travel long distances at a high speed, expending very little energy. They are very energy-efficient, and this is linked directly to the physical action of bringing their hind legs up with each hop. Every hop literally refills the lungs. This means they can outrun their enemies.
• Kangaroos have large, strong tendons in their hind legs which act as "springs". The springing motion requires less energy than running does, so kangaroos are able to bound for longer distances than other mammals with the standard four legs can run. They have strong back legs and elongated hind feet for bounding.

Answer 2

Koalas have a number of behavioural adaptations to survive in their environment.

They climb tall, straight gum trees trees for food, shelter and protection from ground-dwelling predators.

Male koalas have a scent gland which emits a very strong scent. They use this gland to mark their hokme trees, rubbing the gland against the trunk of the tree. This lets other males koalas know it is "his" tree.

Koalas live in communities where the social structure is quite complex. Koalas are territorial, but each koala within the social group has its own specific range for feeding, which may or may not overlap the range of its neighbour. There is always one dominant male in each social group, but he is by no means the only male. Koalas feed alone and travel alone, but they understand their own social structure. When one of their community dies, another does not immediately move in and take its place. It takes about a year for the scent of the previous occupant to fade, and only then will another koala move in to its range.

Answer 3

Kangaroos are known for their powerful legs, and all members of the kangaroo family share this characteristic of large, strong hind legs and short forelegs. The female kangaroo has a pouch for the joey (baby). She gives birth to a single undeveloped young which crawls up to the pouch to continue its final stages of development.

Kangaroos are well known for their jumping capabilities and use their long, powerful, muscular tails to help balance. Because they are constantly on the alert for predators, they have ears with acute sensitivity, which can twist in any direction.

Answer 4

Kangaroos are uniquely adapted for survival in Australia, a country that suffers frequent droughts.

* The mother kangaroo spends most of her adult life pregnant, but in drought times, she has the ability to indefinitely "freeze" the development of the young embryo until food sources are replenished.

* The mother can also produce two different types of milk to suit the needs of two different aged joeys. She might have a more mature joey that spends less time in the pouch, while a very young embryo has attached itself to a teat. Each joey has different milk requirements - which the mother is able to supply.

* Kangaroos are able to travel long distances at a high speed, expending very little energy. They are very energy-efficient, and this is linked directly to the physical action of bringing their hind legs up with each hop. Every hop literally refills the lungs.

* Kangaroos have large, strong tendons in their hind legs which act as "springs". The springing motion requires less energy than running does, so kangaroos are able to bound for longer distances than other mammals with the standard four legs can run. They have strong back legs and elongated hind feet for bounding.

* Kangaroos are strong swimmers. Many parts of Australia are subject to seasonal flooding rains, but the kangaroo's body shape does not prohibit it from swimming. In fact, kangaroos have been observed swimming to offshore islands off the southern coast. This is the only time the kangaroo's hind legs move independently of each other.

* Kangaroos are more active in the cooler hours of the early morning and the late afternoon. During the heat of the day they are more sedentary, lying around quietly and chewing their cud.

* The teeth of the kangaroo are continuously being worn down by the tough grasses they eat. Instead of continuously growing, once a kangaroo's front teeth are worn down completely, they fall out, and the back teeth move forwards to take the place of the worn front teeth. Kangaroos have four such pairs of chewing teeth.

* Kangaroos have the ability to hear very well: kangaroos can twitch their ears independently around to determine the direction of specific sounds, much as a cat does

* They have long, strong tails for balancing.

These adaptations are the same for most species of kangaroos, including Red Kangaroos, Grey Kangaroos, wallaroos and wallabies.

Answer 5

Kangaroos travel and eat in large groups called mobs. Traveling and feeding in these large groups helps them have better protection from predators.