Choose the BEST kangaroo image : the final cut

Kangaroos encapsulate poise, power, grace and speed but most of all, balance……

Balance, or rather counter-balance, resides in the spring-loaded tail. Hidden deep in the pelvis short, powerful ligaments hold the heavy tail in place. At each hop these ligaments gain, then release, enormous amounts of energy.

This is the secret of the macropods that enables them to move at surprisingly high speeds using very little energy.

Here’s how it works.

In our image (above) the heavy tail has begun to move downwards and the feet are returning to earth. As soon as that happens the massive achilles tendons (in the legs) will pre load with energy caused by the fall and the tail ligaments will reach maximum tension causing the tail to spring upwards.

It’s the combination of these two actions that raises the kangaroo into the next hop, all in one fluid motion.

What makes a kangaroo’s hop so successful is this fact: the tail never hits the ground. By doing this kangaroos retain most of the kinetic energy of the previous hop for movement. Their tail is the counter balance that lifts them back into the air!

While all this is going on the kangaroo’s lungs will fill with air, pumped in by the simple movement of the hop. In one bound some kangaroos can cover up to 8 metres (24 feet) and keep doing it whilst breathing effortlessly.

A horse galloping at the same speed as this kangaroo would use up to four times more energy.

Image: Jeroen Wolfslag, Echidna Walkabout guest

Where: Western Plains near Melbourne, Victoria

Tour: Coast, Mountains, Outback