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.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of BBC Wildlife.
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This story is from the August 2023 edition of BBC Wildlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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