Let’s look in the kangaroo bag

One of the most interesting exotic animals is the kangaroo. Especially many people are interested in its bag, which, at first glance, looks like an ordinary leather pocket. Although, in fact, its structure is much more complex – in fact, the task of the bag is to ensure a comfortable existence of the cub. And this cub is very unusual.

The bag as the beginning of life

A kangaroo cub’s continued development takes place in the pouch

Newborn kangaroos are extremely small – only a few centimeters tall. In addition, they are deaf, bald and blind. But the main reason is that they spend only 33 days in their mother’s womb. Compared to a human pregnancy, that would be equivalent to giving birth to a human after two months of gestation.

Considering that the newly born baby is so underdeveloped, and it will have to live in the harsh conditions of the Australian desert, it needs a place where it can go through the remaining stages of the development process in order to become an independent animal. Such a place is the mother’s pouch. It is a kind of leather pocket, which, in a sense, acts as a womb, in which there is a cozy and safe atmosphere for growth.

What can the bag “do”?

The mother can produce several kinds of milk at the same time

Similar to the ability to stretch that is inherent in the belly during pregnancy, the pouch also stretches as the cub grows. The muscles and ligaments that line the inside of the pouch are powerful but flexible. The mother can adjust the tightening of the pocket opening by tensing these muscles. She usually does this when the cub might be in danger. In eight months, the kangaroo will grow from the size of a coin to the size of a fairly large domestic cat. That is, it will grow quite imposing.

And this is facilitated by the presence of four nipples in the pouch, which produce milk. This essential product for the cub contains antibodies that fight germs and prevent the baby from getting sick. As the baby grows, the ratio of nutrients in the milk changes. For example, after three months, there is more sulfur in the milk, which is responsible for hair, at which time the kangaroo begins to grow fur. The mother can produce several types of milk at the same time. Therefore, she is able to nurse two cubs of different ages at once. The pouch contains sweat glands that secrete antimicrobial substances that protect the cub from various parasites, harmful viruses and bacteria.

Kangaroos – big and small

Kangaroos’ hind paws do not act separately on land

As an adult, the male red kangaroo reaches one and a half meters tall and 90 kilograms in weight. With such dimensions, he easily moves by jumping, thanks to his large and strong hind limbs. Notably, the kangaroo itself cannot move its hind legs individually – only together, but if it swims in water (and kangaroos are excellent swimmers), it does so without problems.

The muskrat is considered the smallest kangaroo. Its length is 20 cm, plus about 15 cm – the tail, and the weight of the little beast – 340 grams. By the way, kangaroos are active in the early morning, late evening or at night, and during the day, they mostly rest in the shade.