Kangaroos haven't always hopped
BBC Wildlife|August 2023
Hopping as a method of high-speed endurance wasn't used by all large kangaroos
Megan Shersby
Kangaroos haven't always hopped

THINK OF AUSTRALIA'S ICONIC kangaroos and you'll probably think of them hopping along with their large and muscular back legs, a method of locomotion known as saltation. However, recent research published in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology has explored the locomotory evolution of kangaroos and their relatives (including wallabies, wallaroos and tree-kangaroos) across the fossil record, and found that the majority of the larger forms did not employ the high-speed endurance hopping of today's large kangaroos.

Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.