Sheila Red Kangaroo
IUCN: Least Concern
Red kangaroos (Osphranter rufus) get special recognition for being the 'largest' in several categories. They are the largest species of kangaroo, the largest marsupials alive today, and the largest terrestrial mammals living in their native homeland of Australia.
Due to the high daytime temperatures in their native habitat, red kangaroos tend to move around more in the cooler dusk, night, and dawn hours. They spend much of their time grazing on grasses and other greens, and have specialized kidneys that allow them to concentrate urine and make due with the limited water in their arid environment.
It is not unusual for female kangaroos like Sheila to spend most of their adult lives pregnant, and they can mother offspring, called joeys, of three different ages at once. They can have one joey in the pouch, another that has recently left the pouch but is still suckling, and a third that is an embryo in a suspended state of development called diapause until the pouched joey emerges. It would be hard to find a more devoted—and busy—mom!
Due to the high daytime temperatures in their native habitat, red kangaroos tend to move around more in the cooler dusk, night, and dawn hours. They spend much of their time grazing on grasses and other greens, and have specialized kidneys that allow them to concentrate urine and make due with the limited water in their arid environment.
It is not unusual for female kangaroos like Sheila to spend most of their adult lives pregnant, and they can mother offspring, called joeys, of three different ages at once. They can have one joey in the pouch, another that has recently left the pouch but is still suckling, and a third that is an embryo in a suspended state of development called diapause until the pouched joey emerges. It would be hard to find a more devoted—and busy—mom!