Macropodidae is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

marsupial Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a r ...

s that includes

kangaroo Kangaroos are 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 gre ...

s, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, quokkas, and several other groups. These genera are allied to the suborder

Macropodiformes The Macropodiformes , also known as macropods, are one of the three suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. They may in fact be nested within one of the suborders, Phalangeriformes. Kangaroos, wallabies and allies, bettongs, p ...

, containing other macropods, and are native to the Australian continent (the mainland and Tasmania),

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and nearby islands.

Description

Although omnivorous kangaroos lived in the past, these were not members of the family Macropodidae; modern macropods are generally

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...

. 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 ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

es and

sedge The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

s. Modern omnivorous kangaroos generally belong to a different family (for example, the Musky rat-kangaroo). In general, macropods have a broad, straight row of cutting teeth at the front of the mouth, no canine 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

, 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 Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiology ...

for macropods is . Like the

eutheria Eutheria (from Greek , 'good, right' and , 'beast'; ), also called Pan-Placentalia, is the clade consisting of Placentalia, placental mammals and all therian mammals that are more closely related to placentals than to marsupials. Eutherians ...

ruminant Ruminants are herbivorous grazing or browsing artiodactyls belonging to the suborder Ruminantia that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microb ...

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

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

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

microbiota Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, mutualistic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found ...

allows the degradation of lignocellulosic 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 abundance of methane on Earth makes ...

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 Archaea ( ) is a Domain (biology), domain of organisms. Traditionally, Archaea only included its Prokaryote, prokaryotic members, but this has since been found to be paraphyletic, as eukaryotes are known to have evolved from archaea. Even thou ...

, 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. They have round cells, called cocci (singular coccus), or rod-like forms (bacillus). A few Bacillota, such as '' Megasphaera'', ...

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

, and

Pseudomonadota Pseudomonadota (synonym "Proteobacteria") is a major phylum of gram-negative bacteria. Currently, they are considered the predominant phylum within the domain of bacteria. They are naturally found as pathogenic and free-living (non- parasitic) ...

. Among Pseudomonadota populations of the Succinivibrionaceae family are overrepresented and may contribute to low

methane emissions Increasing methane emissions are a major contributor to the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere, and are responsible for up to one-third of near-term global heating. During 2019, about 60% (360 million tons) of methane r ...

. 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: 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 of all kno ...

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 The carpal bones are the eight small bones that make up the wrist (carpus) that connects the hand to the forearm. The terms "carpus" and "carpal" are derived from the Latin wikt:carpus#Latin, carpus and the Greek language, Greek wikt:καρπός ...

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 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. Furthermore, the act of hopping in kangaroos and wallabies is associated with their breathing process. The movement of their feet off the ground helps to expel air from their lungs, while bringing their feet forward for landing replenishes their lungs with air, resulting in greater energy efficiency. Studies conducted on these animals have shown that hopping at faster speeds requires only a minimal increase in effort beyond the energy required to hop in general, which is significantly less than what would be required in other animals like horses, dogs, or humans. Additionally, it has been observed that carrying extra weight requires little additional energy, which is particularly important for female kangaroos and wallabies carrying heavy 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. Most macropod species have a

polygynous Polygyny () is a form of polygamy entailing the marriage of a man to several women. The term polygyny is from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); . Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent. Some scholar ...

mating system and produce a mating plug after copulation.

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 pregn ...

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 Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans, it is related to both puberty and adulthood. ''Puberty'' is the biological process of sexual maturation, while ''adulthood'', the condition of being socially recognized ...

at one to three years of age, depending on the species.

Fossil record

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 epoch (geology), 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 mea ...

Late Oligocene The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale The geologic time scale or geological time scale (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the pro ...

, and was uncovered in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

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

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

fossil of a species similar to '' Hadronomas'' has been dated at around 5.33 to 11.61 Mya, falling in the

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

Early Pliocene Early may refer to: Places in the United States * Early, Iowa, a city * Early, Texas, a city * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia * Fort Early, Georgia, an early 19th century fort Music * Early B, stage name of Jamaican d ...

. 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 ''Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference'' is a standard reference work in mammalogy giving descriptions and Bibliographic database, bibliographic data for the known species of mammals. It is now in its third edition, ...

(2005), except where th
Mammal Diversity Database
and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

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'' ** Genus †'' Dorcopsoides'' ** Genus †'' Kurrabi'' ** Subfamily Lagostrophinae *** Genus '' Lagostrophus'' **** Banded hare-wallaby, ''Lagostrophus fasciatus'' *** Genus †'' Protemnodon'' *** Genus †'' Troposodon'' ** Subfamily Sthenurinae *** Genus †'' Hadronomas'' *** Tribe † Sthenurini **** Genus †'' Sthenurus'' **** Genus †'' Metasthenurus'' *** Tribe † Simosthenurini **** Genus †'' Archaeosimos'' **** Genus †'' Simosthenurus'' **** Genus †'' Procoptodon'' ** Subfamily Macropodinae *** Genus †'' Prionotemnus'' *** Genus †'' Congruus'' *** Genus †'' Baringa'' *** Genus †'' Bohra'' *** Genus †'' Synaptodon'' *** Genus †'' Fissuridon'' *** Genus †'' Silvaroo'' *** Genus †'' Nombe'' *** 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, ''Dendrolagus spadix'' **** Golden-mantled tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus pulcherrimus'' **** Seri's tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus stellarum'' **** Dingiso, ''Dendrolagus mbaiso'' **** Tenkile, ''Dendrolagus scottae'' **** Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo, ''Dendrolagus mayri'' **** Ifola, ''Dendrolagus notatus'' *** Genus '' Dorcopsis'' **** Brown dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsis muelleri'' **** White-striped dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsis hageni'' **** Black dorcopsis, ''Dorcopsis atrata'' **** Gray dorcopsis, ''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 The western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, i ...

, ''Macropus fuliginosus'' ****

Eastern grey kangaroo The eastern grey kangaroo (''Macropus giganteus'': gigantic large-foot; also great grey kangaroo or forester kangaroo) is a marsupial found in the eastern third of Australia, with a population of several million. Although a large ''M. giganteus ...

, ''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, ''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 ''Osphranter'' is a genus of large marsupials in the family Macropodidae, commonly known as kangaroos and wallaroos (among other species). It contains the largest extant marsupial, the red kangaroo (''O. rufus''). In 2019, a reassessment of mac ...

'' ****

Antilopine kangaroo The antilopine kangaroo (''Osphranter antilopinus''), also known as the antilopine wallaroo or the antilopine wallaby, is a species of Macropodidae, macropod found in northern Australia: in Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, the Top End of the N ...

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

Yellow-footed rock-wallaby The yellow-footed rock-wallaby (''Petrogale xanthopus''), formerly known as the ring-tailed rock-wallaby, is a member of the macropod family (the marsupial family that includes the kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, and wallaroos). Taxon ...

, ''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, ''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, ''Thylogale stigmatica'' **** Red-necked pademelon, ''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