Macropodidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a ...

s that includes

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

s, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, quokkas, and several other groups. These genera are allied to the suborder Macropodiformes, containing other macropods, and are native to the Australian continent (the mainland and Tasmania),

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and nearby islands.

Description

Although omnivorous kangaroos lived in the past, modern macropods are

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

. Some are browsers, but most are grazers and are equipped with appropriately specialised teeth for cropping and grinding up fibrous plants, in particular

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in law ...

es and

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus '' Carex'' ...

s. In general, macropods have a broad, straight row of cutting teeth at the front of the mouth, no

canine Canine may refer to: Zoology and anatomy * a dog-like Canid animal in the subfamily Caninae ** '' Canis'', a genus including dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals ** Dog, the domestic dog * Canine tooth, in mammalian oral anatomy People with the ...

teeth, and a gap before the molars. The molars are large and, unusually, do not appear all at once but a pair at a time at the back of the mouth as the animal ages, eventually becoming worn down by the tough, abrasive grasses and falling out. Like many Macropodiformes, early kangaroos had plagiaulacoids, but these converted into normal molars in more derived species. Most species have four molars and, when the last pair is too worn to be of use, the animals starve to death. The dental formula for macropods is . Like the eutherian

ruminant Ruminants ( suborder Ruminantia) are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. Th ...

s of the Northern Hemisphere (sheep, cattle, and so on), macropods have specialised digestive systems that use a high concentration of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

, protozoans, and fungi in the first chamber of a complex stomach to digest plant material. The details of organisation are quite different, but the end result is somewhat similar. The particular structure-function relationship of the Macropodidae gut and the gut microbiota allows the degradation of

lignocellulosic Lignocellulose refers to plant dry matter (biomass), so called lignocellulosic biomass. It is the most abundantly available raw material on the Earth for the production of biofuels. It is composed of two kinds of carbohydrate polymers, cellulose a ...

material with a relatively low emission of

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ear ...

relative to other ruminants. These low emissions are partly explained by the anatomical differences between the macropodid digestive system and that of ruminants, resulting in shorter retention times of particulate digesta within the foregut. This fact might prevent the establishment of methanogenic archaea, which has been found in low levels in tammar wallabies (''Notamacropus eugenii'') and eastern grey kangaroo (''M. giganteus''). Metagenomic analysis revealed that the foregut of tammar wallabies mainly contains bacteria belonging to the phyla

Bacillota The Bacillota (synonym Firmicutes) are a phylum of bacteria, most of which have gram-positive cell wall structure. The renaming of phyla such as Firmicutes in 2021 remains controversial among microbiologists, many of whom continue to use the ea ...

Bacteroidota The phylum Bacteroidota (synonym Bacteroidetes) is composed of three large classes of Gram-negative, nonsporeforming, anaerobic or aerobic, and rod-shaped bacteria that are widely distributed in the environment, including in soil, sediments, and ...

, and

Pseudomonadota Pseudomonadota (synonym Proteobacteria) is a major phylum of Gram-negative bacteria. The renaming of phyla in 2021 remains controversial among microbiologists, many of whom continue to use the earlier names of long standing in the literature. The ...

. Among Pseudomonadota populations of the Succinivibrionaceae family are overrepresented and may contribute to low methane emissions. Macropods vary in size considerably, but most have very large hind legs and long, powerfully muscled tails. The term macropod comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

for "large foot" and is appropriate: most have very long, narrow hind feet with a distinctive arrangement of toes. The fourth toe is very large and strong, the fifth toe moderately so; the second and third are fused; and the first toe is usually missing. Their short front legs have five separate digits. Some macropods have seven carpal bones instead of the usual eight in mammals. All have relatively small heads and most have large ears, except for tree-kangaroos, which must move quickly between closely spaced branches. The young are born very small and the

pouch Pouch may refer to: * A small bag such as a packet (container), teabag, money bag, sporran, fanny pack, etc. * Marsupium (disambiguation), especially pouch (marsupial), an anatomical feature in which young are carried * Cadaver pouch, a bod ...

opens forward. The unusual development of the hind legs is optimised for economical long-distance travel at fairly high speed. The greatly elongated feet provide enormous leverage for the strong legs, but the famous kangaroo hop has more: kangaroos and wallabies have a unique ability to store elastic strain energy in their tendons. In consequence, most of the energy required for each hop is provided "free" by the spring action of the tendons (rather than by muscular effort). The main limitation on a macropod's ability to leap is not the strength of the muscles in the hindquarters, it is the ability of the joints and tendons to withstand the strain of hopping. In addition, the hopping action is linked to breathing. As the feet leave the ground, air is expelled from the lungs by what amounts to an internal piston; bringing the feet forward ready for landing fills the lungs again, providing further energy efficiency. Studies of kangaroos and wallabies have demonstrated that, beyond the minimum energy expenditure required to hop at all, increased speed requires very little extra effort (much less than the same speed increase in, say, a horse, a dog, or a human), and also that little extra energy is required to carry extra weight – something that is of obvious importance to females carrying large pouch young. The ability of larger macropods to survive on poor-quality, low-energy feed, and to travel long distances at high speed without great energy expenditure (to reach fresh food supplies or waterholes, and to escape predators) has been crucial to their evolutionary success on a continent that, because of poor soil fertility and low, unpredictable average rainfall, offers only very limited primary plant productivity.

Gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during preg ...

in macropods lasts about a month, being slightly longer in the largest species. Typically, only a single young is born, weighing less than at birth. They soon attach themselves to one of four teats inside the mother's pouch. The young leave the pouch after five to 11 months, and are weaned after a further two to six months. Macropods reach sexual maturity at one to three years of age, depending on the species.

Fossil record

thumb , '' Procoptodon goliah'' thumb , '' Simosthenurus occidentalis'' thumb , '' Sthenurus strilingi'' The evolutionary ancestors of marsupials split from placental mammals during the Jurassic period about 160 million years ago (Mya). The earliest known fossil macropod dates back about 11.61 to 28.4 Mya, either in the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

or Late Oligocene, and was uncovered in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. Unfortunately, the fossil could not be identified any further than the family. A

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

fossil of a species similar to ''

Hadronomas ''Hadronomas'' is a genus of kangaroo in the subfamily Sthenurinae. There is only one described species, ''Hadronomas puckridgi'', known from various fossil material from the Alcoota Fauna site and an undetermined species from Lake Kanunka __N ...

'' has been dated at around 5.33 to 11.61 Mya, falling in the Late Miocene or

Early Pliocene Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

. The earliest completely identifiable fossils are from around 5.33 Mya.

Classification

The listing for extant species is based on The Third edition of Wilson & Reeder's Mammal Species of the World (2005), except where th
Mammal Diversity Database
and IUCN agree on a change. The two living subfamilies in the family Macropodidae are the Lagostrophinae, represented by a single species, the banded hare-wallaby, and the remainder, which make up the subfamily Macropodinae (67 species). * Macropodidae ** Genus †''

Watutia ''Watutia'' is an extinct genus of fossil kangaroo known from the Pliocene from New Guinea. It is only known from the type species ''Watutia novaeguineae,'' known from some fragmentary upper and lower jaws and isolated teeth from the Pliocene O ...

'' ** Genus †''

Dorcopsoides ''Dorcopsoides'' is a genus of extinct species of kangaroo from the Pliocene of Australia.. Description ''Dorcopsoides'' was described in 1967 from the well-preserved lower jaw, skull fragments and occipital found in the Upper Miocene Alcoota F ...

'' ** Genus †'' Kurrabi'' ** Subfamily Lagostrophinae *** Genus '' Lagostrophus'' **** Banded hare-wallaby, ''Lagostrophus fasciatus'' *** Genus †'' Protemnodon'' *** Genus †'' Troposodon'' ** Subfamily

Sthenurinae Sthenurinae (from ''Sthenurus'', Greek for 'strong-tailed') is a subfamily within the marsupial family Macropodidae, known as 'short faced kangaroos'. No members of this subfamily are extant today, with all becoming extinct by the late Pleistocen ...

*** Genus ''

'' *** Tribe Sthenurini **** Genus ''

Sthenurus ''Sthenurus'' ("strong tail") is an extinct genus of kangaroos. With a length around 3 m (10 ft), some species were twice as large as modern extant species. ''Sthenurus'' was related to the better-known ''Procoptodon''. The subfamily S ...

'' **** Genus '' Metasthenurus'' *** Tribe Simosthenurini **** Genus '' Archaeosimos'' **** Genus ''

Simosthenurus ''Simosthenurus,'' also referred to as the short-faced kangaroo, is an extinct genus of megafaunal macropods that existed in Australia, specifically Tasmania, during the Pleistocene. Analysis of ''Simosthenurus'' fossils has contributed to the fi ...

'' **** Genus '' Procoptodon'' ** Subfamily Macropodinae *** Genus †'' Prionotemnus'' *** Genus †'' Congruus'' *** Genus †'' Baringa'' *** Genus †''

Bohra Bohra or Bora may refer to: Groups of people *A Musta'li trading community: **Alavi Bohra, a branch of the Mustaali community **Dawoodi Bohra, a branch of the Mustaali community ** Suleimani Bohra, a Mustaali Ismaili community that predominantly re ...

'' *** Genus †'' Synaptodon'' *** Genus †'' Fissuridon'' *** Genus †'' Silvaroo'' *** Genus '' Dendrolagus'': tree-kangaroos **** Grizzled tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus inustus'' **** Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus lumholtzi'' **** Bennett's tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus bennettianus'' **** Ursine tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus ursinus'' **** Matschie's tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus matschiei'' **** Doria's tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus dorianus'' **** Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus goodfellowi'' ****

Lowlands tree-kangaroo The lowlands tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus spadix''), also spelt "lowland," is a long-tailed, furry, bear-like mammal found only in lowland tropical rainforests on the island of New Guinea (in Papua New Guinea). It is a species of tree-kangaroo (g ...

, ''Dendrolagus spadix'' **** Golden-mantled tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus pulcherrimus'' ****

Seri's tree-kangaroo Seri's tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus stellarum'') is a species of tree-kangaroo native and endemic to montane forests of west-central New Guinea. Seri's tree-kangaroo was originally considered to be a subspecies of ''Dendrolagus dorianus'', but wa ...

, ''Dendrolagus stellarum'' **** Dingiso, ''Dendrolagus mbaiso'' **** Tenkile, ''Dendrolagus scottae'' ****

Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo The Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus mayri'') is a critically endangered, bear-like mammal native to tropical mountain forests on the island of New Guinea (in eastern Indonesia). Elusive and rare, it was considered extinct until rediscover ...

, ''Dendrolagus mayri'' **** Ifola, ''Dendrolagus notatus'' *** Genus '' Dorcopsis'' **** Brown dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsis muelleri'' **** White-striped dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsis hageni'' **** Black dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsis atrata'' ****

Gray dorcopsis The gray dorcopsis or gray forest wallaby (''Dorcopsis luctuosa'') is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is found in West Papua and Papua New Guinea. Description The gray dorcopsis has a long muzzle and small, rounded ears. ...

, ''Dorcopsis luctuosa'' *** Genus '' Dorcopsulus'' **** Small dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsulus vanheurni'' **** Macleay's dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsulus macleayi'' *** Genus '' Lagorchestes'' **** † Lake Mackay hare-wallaby, ''Lagorchestes asomatus'' **** Spectacled hare-wallaby, ''Lagorchestes conspicillatus'' **** Rufous hare-wallaby, ''Lagorchestes hirsutus'' **** † Eastern hare-wallaby, ''Lagorchestes leporides'' *** Genus '' Macropus'' **** Western grey kangaroo, ''Macropus fuliginosus'' **** Eastern grey kangaroo, ''Macropus giganteus'' *** Genus ''Notamacropus'' **** Agile wallaby, ''Notamacropus agilis'' **** Black-striped wallaby, ''Notamacropus dorsalis'' **** Tammar wallaby, ''Notamacropus eugenii'' **** Western brush wallaby, ''Notamacropus irma'' **** Parma wallaby, ''Notamacropus parma'' ****

Pretty-faced wallaby The whiptail wallaby (''Notamacropus parryi''), also known as the pretty-faced wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in eastern Australia. It is locally common from Cooktown in Queensland to near Grafton in New South Wales. Description It is ...

, ''Notamacropus parryi'' **** Red-necked wallaby, ''Notamacropus rufogriseus'' **** † Toolache wallaby, ''Notamacropus greyi'' *** Genus '' Onychogalea'' **** Bridled nail-tail wallaby, ''Onychogalea fraenata'' **** † Crescent nail-tail wallaby, ''Onychogalea lunata'' **** Northern nail-tail wallaby, ''Onychogalea unguifera'' *** Genus '' Osphranter'' **** Antilopine kangaroo, ''Osphranter antilopinus'' **** Black wallaroo, ''Osphranter bernardus'' **** Common wallaroo, ''Osphranter robustus'' **** Red kangaroo, ''Osphranter rufus'' *** Genus '' Petrogale'' **** ''P. brachyotis'' species-group ***** Short-eared rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale brachyotis'' *****

Monjon The monjon (''Petrogale burbidgei'') is the smallest species of rock-wallabies (''Petrogale'') and is found in north-west Australia. They are restricted to a small area of the Kimberley region and on nearby islands in the Bonaparte Archipelago. ...

, ''Petrogale burbidgei'' ***** Nabarlek, ''Petrogale concinna'' **** ''P. xanthopus'' species-group ***** Proserpine rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale persephone'' *****

Rothschild's rock-wallaby Rothschild's rock-wallaby (''Petrogale rothschildi'') – sometimes known as the Roebourne rock-wallaby, is a species of macropod found in Western Australia, in the Pilbara district and the Dampier Archipelago. It is not currently considered ...

, ''Petrogale rothschildi'' ***** Yellow-footed rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale xanthopus'' **** ''P. lateralis''/''penicillata'' species-group ***** Allied rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale assimilis'' ***** Cape York rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale coenensis'' ***** Godman's rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale godmani'' ***** Herbert's rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale herberti'' ***** Unadorned rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale inornata'' ***** Black-flanked rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale lateralis'' ***** Mareeba rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale mareeba'' ***** Brush-tailed rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale penicillata'' *****

Purple-necked rock-wallaby The purple-necked rock-wallaby (''Petrogale purpureicollis'') is a species of rock-wallaby first described in 1924 by Albert Sherbourne Le Souef, then director of the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, who noted a purple colouration around the n ...

, ''Petrogale purpureicollis'' ***** Mount Claro rock-wallaby, ''Petrogale sharmani'' *** Genus '' Setonix'' **** Quokka or short-tailed scrub wallaby, ''Setonix brachyurus'' *** Genus '' Thylogale'' **** Tasmanian pademelon, ''Thylogale billardierii'' **** Brown's pademelon, ''Thylogale browni'' **** Dusky pademelon, ''Thylogale brunii'' **** Calaby's pademelon, ''Thylogale calabyi'' **** Mountain pademelon, ''Thylogale lanatus'' ****

Red-legged pademelon The red-legged pademelon (''Thylogale stigmatica'') is a species of small macropod found on the northeastern coast of Australia and in New Guinea. In Australia it has a scattered distribution from the tip of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland to ...

, ''Thylogale stigmatica'' ****

Red-necked pademelon The red-necked pademelon (''Thylogale thetis'') is a forest-dwelling marsupial living in the eastern coastal region of Australia between extreme south-east Queensland and central eastern New South Wales. Description A small species of macropo ...

, ''Thylogale thetis'' *** Genus '' Wallabia'' **** Swamp wallaby or black wallaby, ''W. bicolor''

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Marsupials of Australia Extant Chattian first appearances Mammal families Taxa named by John Edward Gray

Description

Fossil record

Classification

See also

References

External links