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Showing posts with the label Herbivores

Kangaroo

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Photo by Fadzil Hisham The kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia. There were about 34.3 million kangaroos lived in Australia in 2011. Kangaroos have large, powerful hind legs, large feet adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. They can leap some 30 feet (9 meters) in a single bound, and travel more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour. Like most marsupials, female kangaroos have a pouch on their belly, made by a fold in the skin, to cradle baby kangaroos called joeys. Photo by Fadzil Hisham Newborn joeys are just one inch long (2.5 centimeters) at birth, or about the size of a grape. After birth, joeys travel, unassisted, through their mom’s thick fur to the comfort and safety of the pouch. A newborn joey can’t suckle or swallow, so the kangaroo mom uses her muscles to pump milk down its throat. At around 4 months, the joey emerges f

Alpaca

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Photo by Fadzil Hisham Alpacas are prized as pets and cattle around the world. They are adorable, docile and soft, and there are no wild alpacas. Alpacas are related to llamas, living high in the Andes in South America. llamas are used as pack animals, while alpacas are raised mainly for their soft wool. However, alpacas are very adaptable and have been exported to New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands, so their "habitat" is often the farmland.  Alpacas are very social creatures. They are gentle and curious and with training can become great pets. Alpacas spit when they are distressed or feel threatened. They won't spit at people or bite unless they have been abused. As herbivores, alpacas only eat vegetation. They eat mostly grass, but their diets can also include leaves wood, bark or stems. Football  |  Rugby  |  Golf  |  Motorsports