Difference Between Male and Female Kangaroo

The key difference between male and female kangaroo is that male kangaroo does not have a pouch while female kangaroo has a pouch.

Kangaroo is an iconic species, native to Australia. They are the largest marsupials in body size. Moreover, the adaptability of the kangaroo to dry Australian deserts is very high when compared to other animals. In addition, males and females of this fascinating species are different from each other in a few aspects. Hence, this article attempts to highlight the difference between male and female kangaroo.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. Male Kangaroo
3. Female Kangaroo
4. Similarities Between Male and Female Kangaroo
5. Side by Side Comparison – Male vs Female Kangaroo in Tabular Form
6. Summary

Male Kangaroo

A male kangaroo, also called a Buck, Boomer or an Old Man, is tall and stout. A well-built adult buck could weigh up to 95 kilograms with a height of more than two metres. They show an interesting sexual behaviour.

When the female comes to heat, male monitors the female and follows all her movements. They show Flehman reaction, which is a sexual action male performs by sniffing the female’s urine to confirm that the female is in heat. During this period, bucks slowly get close and try to show off with certain behaviours to get her attraction. Females show their interest on bucks by signalling no reluctance. The strong large males can create a stronger bond with females than a thin, weak one would do. Bucks fight with each other, mostly for females, as well as for food and water. In the presence of an attractive female in heat, the bucks fight by means of showing off, or competition for females.

Female Kangaroo

Female kangaroo, also called a Doe, Flyer or Jill, is a marsupial that is taller than a man (almost two metres) with a weight of about 85 kilograms. A female kangaroo delivers usually only one neonate called Joey annually. Joey remains inside mother’s pouch for about 190 days and after that, it sticks its head out of the pouch. During all this time, Joey keeps sucking milk that oozes out of teats, inside the pouch, for its development.

Usually, a female becomes ready to mate soon after the neonate is delivered into the pouch. Normally, female kangaroo is always pregnant. While one Joey is ready to come out of the pouch, there is another neonate being developed inside. Therefore, females are always lactating. However, a Joey will be ready to go out after about 235 days from the delivery. And, this extremely specialized form of parental care is unique to kangaroos.

What are the Similarities Between Male and Female Kangaroo?

• Male and female kangaroos are indigenous to Australia.
• The kangaroo is a symbol of Australia.
• Moreover, they are the marsupials with largest body size.
• Also, both males and females can gain hopping speeds up to 70 kilometres per hour.
• Their hind legs and strong tail are instrumental in hopping, creating a great advantage of escaping from predators.
• Besides, young male and female kangaroos are difficult to distinguish.

What is the Difference Between Male and Female Kangaroo?

Male kangaroo does not have a pouch, while female kangaroo has a pouch. Thus, this is the key difference between male and female kangaroo. Moreover, the further anatomical difference between male and female kangaroo is that the male kangaroos have a larger body size with well-developed forearm muscles compared to female kangaroos.

Summary – Male vs Female Kangaroo

Kangaroo is a marsupial, which is a subtype of mammal. They are found only in Australia. The male and female kangaroo differ from each other on several characteristics. The key difference between male and female kangaroo is the presence of a pouch in female kangaroo. Moreover, female kangaroo is smaller in body size than male kangaroo. In addition, the females are always pregnant, and more often they are lactating. Thus, this summarizes the difference between male and female kangaroo.

Reference:

1.“Kangaroo.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Apr. 2019, Available here.
2. Bradford, Alina. “Kangaroo Facts.” LiveScience, Purch, 2 Mar. 2016, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Male-kangaroo” By PanBK at the English language Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “604314” (CC0) via Pxhere