The endangered kangaroo: causes and information
We all know the global problem of endangered species , it is nothing new, unfortunately, for years and years we have heard about or even experienced the loss of some of them. Unfortunately we do not see the end, there are still species in danger of extinction, there are still species that disappear. It is true that extinction is part of a natural process, by which species adapt or not to new changes in the environment. The serious problem occurs when humans are introducing too many artificial changes in this natural equation, causing the acceleration of extinction.
In this GreenEcology article in question we will give prominence to the kangaroo, but it is not the only one that is under some threat, and in other of our articles you will find more examples, there are many living beings that live moments of grave danger of survival. Along the following lines we will explain the case of this animal, is the kangaroo in danger of extinction ? We give you information and we detail the causes of the extinction of animals among other details.
Kangaroo characteristics
We all know kangaroos , they are powerful animals, with strong hind legs and a robust tail that help them to make their big jumps on their way, a way with which they move instead of running, they can reach 70 km / h. The kangaroo is an endemic species of Australia , this means that it is a particular species of this area, it is not found anywhere else naturally. They are herbivorous animals, they measure around 1.5 meters, reach 80 kg in weight and can live up to 18 years.
On the other hand, they are called marsupials because of the bag or pouch that they have in the gut area, where they protect their young until approximately 8 months of age. Know well what marsupial animals are and examples , since kangaroos are not the only ones, in this link.
Another of their characteristics is the way they regulate body temperature, the heat of Australia has forced them to draw on resources to cope with temperatures, the method they use is simple, they lick their feet and rub their breasts to reduce the heat.
Kangaroo species
There are several species of kangaroos :
- Red kangaroo or Macropus rufus: this species of kangaroo is the largest of all, they can reach 2 meters in height and their coat is reddish brown on the upper part, hence the name. They usually inhabit the central and western part of the country.
- Eastern gray kangaroo, giant kangaroo or Macropus giganteus: it is slightly smaller than the red kangaroo although the difference is small, it inhabits the eastern part of the country.
- Western gray kangaroo or Macropus fuliginosus: they live in the western part of the country, they weigh 54 kg, so they are smaller than the previous ones. A curiosity of the males is that they emit a smell similar to that of curry.
Is the kangaroo in danger of extinction?
As mentioned before, the kangaroo is one of the millions of species that are under threat of extinction in some way. The kangaroo is NOT in danger of extinction or threatened in such a radical and alarming way as it is with other species, such as the Iberian wolf or the Iberian lynx , but that is not why we should not worry. Meet here The animals in greatest danger of extinction .
The kangaroo is under the category of “least concern” , this does not mean that we should not pay attention to its case (since it does have threats and some increase a lot day by day), but that there are species of greater risk of extinction.
Below we show the threat categories that currently exist on the Red List prepared by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
As you can see, the kangaroo would be found on the first step of the pyramid, but we insist, no less important, because the living being that is now extinct was one day on the first step.
We will probably not mention all the causes that cause extinctions because they are surely infinite due to various factors, but we will give an overview of the most common causes of extinctions :
- Natural and arson fires.
- Pollution.
- Forest clearing for paper industries, large-scale food cultivation, etc.
- Deforestation for infrastructure construction.
- Introduction of alien or alien species, which easily become invasive species.
- Poaching or uncontrolled hunting.
- Climate change.
As you can see, there are natural causes and anthropic or human causes. All the above causes lead to the destruction of the habitat, thus causing the loss of biodiversity until its extinction if corrective or preventive measures are not used. Others directly affect the species, such as illegal hunting and trafficking, and these through this affect the ecosystem and habitat.
How to prevent animals from being in danger of extinction due to humans
Taking into account all the causes that we have mentioned above, we can establish that the methods to avoid the accelerated extinction of species are:
- Avoid fires: cleaning of wooded areas, surveillance, dissemination and collaboration if we see suspicious people or the event itself.
- Avoid pollution: recycle, use public transport or take advantage of new transport applications.
- Environmental legislation, such as toughening standards and laws such as paying fines for polluting.
- Greater control at airports and ports to avoid the introduction or commercialization of species.
