Kangaroos are well-known for the way females carry their babies, known as joeys, in a pouch and they are also famed for their unique bounding gait. The question is, "How far can they jump?"
They are one of only a few animals that move by hopping or by saltation if you prefer the scientific term. Other animals include anurans (e.g. frogs), rabbits, some insects and some rodents.
Although kangaroos mostly move on their long back legs, when they are grazing they use their forepaws in what is known as “crawl-walking” because they appear to be crawling on their front legs. forelegs. This is much slower than hopping They rest their forepaws on the ground and then brace their tail on the ground. Thius enables them to support their weight on their tail and forepaws while they pull their hind legs forward slightly, put them down, move their forelegs, and repeat the process.
Kangaroos have strong hind legs and extremely large back feet and a long, muscular tail which provides them with balance. Their hopping gait is actually one of the fastest and most effective methods of covering long distances without much effort.
The key is the Achilles tendons that run down the back of their hind legs making them act like a spring. In the first hop their hind legs and their toes are compressed underneath them and the tendons are stretched like a rubber band. This creates a spring effect which allows them to jump with incredible effectiveness.
When kangaroos are bounding they build up speed and momentum, but how far and how high they can jump depends on their size. Speed is key. Kangaroos increase their speed by increasing the length of each hop which is different from most other animals who increase the frequency of their stride rather than the length of it.
Most of the energy that a kangaroo uses in hopping is generated by it’s tendons and that means they only need to put a little effort into each jump, despite how far and how fast they are traveling. It also means they can travel long distances without getting tired.
In spite of their speed, kangaroos can turn incredibly quickly because they have the ability to pivot on one foot. They can turn almost 180 degrees in a single hop!
Hopping gives kangaroos the ability to outrun predators, especially because they can cover long distances very fast without getting tired. And, the ability to turn quickly means that kangaroos definitely have the advantage over predators.
Besides humans, kangaroos have few natural predators: dingoes, some eagles and, before their extermination, Tasmanian tigers. Other introduced predators are wild dogs and foxes which prey on the young.
What about their speed and hopping distance? Red kangaroos, the biggest species, can reach speeds of around 40 miles per hour and the average jump is 25 to 30 feet. However, the farthest recorded leap was made by a female red kangaroo in New South Wales in 1951when she jumped 42 feet! From a standing jump, kangaroos can only jump forward around 6.5 feet. By comparison, for humans the world long jump record is just shy of 26 feet and that is after about a 100 foot head start.
Red kangaroos can jump around 10 feet high when they have plenty of momentum, but from standing they can only jump between 4 and 6 feet in the air. The best humans can do after a running start is about 8 feet. A professional basketball player can perform a vertical leap of about 28 inches.
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