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Macropodidae

February 16, 2024

Not to be confused with Macropodia or Macropodinae.

Macropodidae is a family of marsupials that includes kangaroos, 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 and nearby islands.[2]

Macropods[1]
Temporal range: 28–0 Ma Late Oligocene to recent
A young red-necked wallaby
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Suborder: Macropodiformes
Family: Macropodidae
Gray, 1821
Type genus
Macropus
Shaw, 1790
Genera

Description edit

 
A Bennett's wallaby skull

Although omnivorous kangaroos lived in the past these were not members of the family Macropodidae, modern macropods are generally herbivorous. Some are browsers, but most are grazers and are equipped with appropriately specialised teeth for cropping and grinding up fibrous plants, in particular grasses and sedges. 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 Macropodiformes, early kangaroos had plagiaulacoids, but these converted into normal molars in more derived species.[3] Most species have four molars and, when the last pair is too worn to be of use, the animals starve to death.[4] The dental formula for macropods is 3.0–1.2.41.000.2.4.

Like the eutherian ruminants of the Northern Hemisphere (sheep, cattle, and so on), macropods have specialised digestive systems that use a high concentration of bacteria, 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 material with a relatively low emission of methane 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, Bacteroidota, and Pseudomonadota. Among Pseudomonadota populations of the Succinivibrionaceae family are overrepresented and may contribute to low methane emissions.[5]

Macropods vary in size considerably, but most have very large hind legs and long, powerfully muscled tails. The term macropod comes from the Greek 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.[6] 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.

 
A female quokka with a joey

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.[citation needed]

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 in macropods lasts about a month, being slightly longer in the largest species. Typically, only a single young is born, weighing less than 1 g (0.035 oz) 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.[7]

Fossil record edit

Main article: Evolution of Macropodidae
 
Procoptodon goliah
 
Simosthenurus occidentalis
 
Sthenurus strilingi

The evolutionary ancestors of marsupials split from placental mammals during the Jurassic period about 160 million years ago (Mya).[8] The earliest known fossil macropod dates back about 11.61 to 28.4 Mya, either in the Miocene or Late Oligocene, and was uncovered in South Australia. Unfortunately, the fossil could not be identified any further than the family. A Queensland fossil of a species similar to Hadronomas has been dated at around 5.33 to 11.61 Mya, falling in the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene. The earliest completely identifiable fossils are from around 5.33 Mya.[9]

Classification edit

See also: List of macropodiformes
 
Tree-kangaroos have smaller ears for easier maneuvering between tree branches, and a much longer tail.
 
A red kangaroo showing pentapedal locomotion while grazing: the forelimbs and tail take the animal's weight while the hind legs are brought forward.
 
A pademelon has typical macropod legs, although they are obscured by fur in this image.
 
A pademelon eating a slice of sweet potato: Although usually grazing directly from the ground with their mouth, macropods may also use their front paws to assist in grazing.
 
A "forester kangaroo" hopping over a puddle

The listing for extant species is based on The Third edition of Wilson & Reeder's Mammal Species of the World (2005), except where the 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).

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 58–70. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Clode, D (2006). Continent of Curiosities: A Journey Through Australian Natural History. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. pp. 25–8. ISBN 978-0-521-86620-0.
  3. ^ Gurovich, Y.; Beck, R. (2009). "The phylogenetic affinities of the enigmatic mammalian clade Gondwanatheria". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 16 (1): 25–49. doi:10.1007/s10914-008-9097-3. S2CID 42799370.
  4. ^ Attenborough, D. 1979. Life on Earth. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company. 319 p.
  5. ^ Pope, PB (2011). "Isolation of Succinivibrionaceae implicated in low ethane emissions from Tammar Wallabies". Science. 333 (6042): 646–648. Bibcode:2011Sci...333..646P. doi:10.1126/science.1205760. PMID 21719642. S2CID 206534060.
  6. ^
  7. ^ Poole, WE (1984). Macdonald, D (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 862–71. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
  8. ^ Luo, Z. X.; Yuan, C. X.; Meng, Q. J.; Ji, Q. (25 August 2011). "A Jurassic eutherian mammal and divergence of marsupials and placentals". Nature. 476 (7361): 442–445. Bibcode:2011Natur.476..442L. doi:10.1038/Nature10291. PMID 21866158. S2CID 205225806.
  9. ^ The Paleobiology Database (2011). "Macropodidae (kangaroo)". The Paleobiology Database. Majura Park, ACT, Australia: Australian Research Council. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  10. ^ Haaramo, M (20 December 2004). . Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
  11. ^ Prideaux, GJ; Warburton, NM (2010). "An osteology-based appraisal of the phylogeny and evolution of kangaroos and wallabies (Macropodidae: Marsupialia)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 159 (4): 954–87. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00607.x.

External links edit

  • "Macropodidae". Atlas of Living Australia.
  •   Data related to Macropodidae at Wikispecies
  •   Media related to Macropus at Wikimedia Commons
  •   The dictionary definition of kangaroo at Wiktionary

February 16, 2024
macropodidae, confused, with, macropodia, macropodinae, family, marsupials, that, includes, kangaroos, wallabies, tree, kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, quokkas, several, other, groups, these, genera, allied, suborder, macropodiformes, containing, other, macr. Not to be confused with Macropodia or Macropodinae Macropodidae is a family of marsupials that includes kangaroos 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 and nearby islands 2 Macropods 1 Temporal range 28 0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Oligocene to recentA young red necked wallabyScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaInfraclass MarsupialiaOrder DiprotodontiaSuborder MacropodiformesFamily MacropodidaeGray 1821Type genusMacropusShaw 1790GeneraDendrolagus Dorcopsis Dorcopsulus Lagorchestes Lagostrophus Macropus Notamacropus Onychogalea Osphranter Petrogale Setonix Thylogale Wallabia and see text for extinct genera Contents 1 Description 2 Fossil record 3 Classification 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksDescription edit nbsp A Bennett s wallaby skullAlthough omnivorous kangaroos lived in the past these were not members of the family Macropodidae modern macropods are generally herbivorous Some are browsers but most are grazers and are equipped with appropriately specialised teeth for cropping and grinding up fibrous plants in particular grasses and sedges 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 Macropodiformes early kangaroos had plagiaulacoids but these converted into normal molars in more derived species 3 Most species have four molars and when the last pair is too worn to be of use the animals starve to death 4 The dental formula for macropods is 3 0 1 2 4 1 0 00 2 4 Like the eutherian ruminants of the Northern Hemisphere sheep cattle and so on macropods have specialised digestive systems that use a high concentration of bacteria 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 material with a relatively low emission of methane 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 Bacteroidota and Pseudomonadota Among Pseudomonadota populations of the Succinivibrionaceae family are overrepresented and may contribute to low methane emissions 5 Macropods vary in size considerably but most have very large hind legs and long powerfully muscled tails The term macropod comes from the Greek 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 6 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 nbsp A female quokka with a joeyFurthermore 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 citation needed 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 in macropods lasts about a month being slightly longer in the largest species Typically only a single young is born weighing less than 1 g 0 035 oz 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 7 Fossil record editMain article Evolution of Macropodidae nbsp Procoptodon goliah nbsp Simosthenurus occidentalis nbsp Sthenurus strilingiThe evolutionary ancestors of marsupials split from placental mammals during the Jurassic period about 160 million years ago Mya 8 The earliest known fossil macropod dates back about 11 61 to 28 4 Mya either in the Miocene or Late Oligocene and was uncovered in South Australia Unfortunately the fossil could not be identified any further than the family A Queensland fossil of a species similar to Hadronomas has been dated at around 5 33 to 11 61 Mya falling in the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene The earliest completely identifiable fossils are from around 5 33 Mya 9 Classification editSee also List of macropodiformes nbsp Tree kangaroos have smaller ears for easier maneuvering between tree branches and a much longer tail nbsp A red kangaroo showing pentapedal locomotion while grazing the forelimbs and tail take the animal s weight while the hind legs are brought forward nbsp A pademelon has typical macropod legs although they are obscured by fur in this image nbsp A pademelon eating a slice of sweet potato Although usually grazing directly from the ground with their mouth macropods may also use their front paws to assist in grazing nbsp A forester kangaroo hopping over a puddleThe listing for extant species is based on The Third edition of Wilson amp Reeder s Mammal Species of the World 2005 except where the 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 1 10 Genus Watutia Genus Dorcopsoides Genus Kurrabi Subfamily Lagostrophinae 11 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 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 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 Petrogale burbidgei Nabarlek Petrogale concinna P xanthopus species group Proserpine rock wallaby Petrogale persephone Rothschild s rock wallaby 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 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 bicolorSee also edit nbsp Australia portal nbsp Animals portal nbsp Mammals portalAustralian megafauna Macropod hybridReferences edit a b Groves C P 2005 Wilson D E Reeder D M eds Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press pp 58 70 ISBN 0 801 88221 4 OCLC 62265494 Clode D 2006 Continent of Curiosities A Journey Through Australian Natural History Melbourne Cambridge University Press pp 25 8 ISBN 978 0 521 86620 0 Gurovich Y Beck R 2009 The phylogenetic affinities of the enigmatic mammalian clade Gondwanatheria Journal of Mammalian Evolution 16 1 25 49 doi 10 1007 s10914 008 9097 3 S2CID 42799370 Attenborough D 1979 Life on Earth Boston MA Little Brown and Company 319 p Pope PB 2011 Isolation of Succinivibrionaceae implicated in low ethane emissions from Tammar Wallabies Science 333 6042 646 648 Bibcode 2011Sci 333 646P doi 10 1126 science 1205760 PMID 21719642 S2CID 206534060 Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor carpals Poole WE 1984 Macdonald D ed The Encyclopedia of Mammals New York Facts on File pp 862 71 ISBN 0 87196 871 1 Luo Z X Yuan C X Meng Q J Ji Q 25 August 2011 A Jurassic eutherian mammal and divergence of marsupials and placentals Nature 476 7361 442 445 Bibcode 2011Natur 476 442L doi 10 1038 Nature10291 PMID 21866158 S2CID 205225806 The Paleobiology Database 2011 Macropodidae kangaroo The Paleobiology Database Majura Park ACT Australia Australian Research Council Retrieved 11 July 2011 Haaramo M 20 December 2004 Macropodidae kenguroos Mikko s Phylogeny Archive Archived from the original on 31 March 2007 Retrieved 15 March 2007 Prideaux GJ Warburton NM 2010 An osteology based appraisal of the phylogeny and evolution of kangaroos and wallabies Macropodidae Marsupialia Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 159 4 954 87 doi 10 1111 j 1096 3642 2009 00607 x External links edit Macropodidae Atlas of Living Australia nbsp Data related to Macropodidae at Wikispecies nbsp Media related to Macropus at Wikimedia Commons nbsp The dictionary definition of kangaroo at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Macropodidae amp oldid 1173665731, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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