Kangaroo: Portrait of an Extraordinary Marsupial

The remarkable social, anecdotal, and historical story of Australia's most famous marsupial, recognized the world over for its adorable pouch and trademark hopping From their ancient origins and prehistoric significance to current-day management and conservation, this book describes the ecology, history, and behavior of these unique animals. The amazing diversity of this group of animals is revealed, from tiny forest dwellers and tree kangaroos to large majestic animals living on the open plains of central Australia and the giant kangaroos that once roamed the Pleistocene landscape. It describes their interaction with both the original inhabitants and the European settlers of Australia and addresses the issue of how the population of these animals can be best managed, making the points that some species are heading for extinction due to habitat loss while others have increased in numbers since humans first settled in Australia. The authors also investigate the animal's natural history?their unique reproduction methods, intriguing behaviour, varied diet, and trademark hopping ability; and examines humans' sustained fascination with kangaroos?spanning 40,000 years?that allows these engaging marsupials to be instantly recognized.