书城外语课外英语-动物亮丽风景线(双语版)
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第35章 袋鼠

袋鼠原产于澳大利亚大陆和巴布亚新几内亚的部分地区。其中,有些种类为澳大利亚独有。所有澳大利亚袋鼠,动物园和野生动物园里的除外,都在野地里生活。不同种类的袋鼠在澳大利亚各种不同的自然环境中生活,从凉性气候的雨林和沙漠平原到热带地区。

袋鼠是食草动物,吃多种植物,有的还吃真菌类。它们大多在夜间活动,但也有些在清晨或傍晚活动。不同种类的袋鼠在各种不同的自然环境中生活。比如,波多罗伊德袋鼠会给自己做巢而树袋鼠则生活在树丛中。大种袋鼠喜欢以树、洞穴和岩石裂缝作为遮蔽物。

所有袋鼠,不管体积多大,有一个共同点:长着长脚的后腿强健而有力。大多数袋鼠在地面生活,从它们强健的后腿跳越的方式很容易便能将其与其他动物区分开来。袋鼠在跳跃过程中用尾巴进行平衡,当它们缓慢走动时,尾巴则可作为第五条腿。

所有雌性袋鼠都长有前开的育儿袋,育儿袋里有四个乳头。“幼崽”或小袋鼠就在育儿袋里被抚养长大,直到它们能在外部世界生存。

If you shouted “Hey,Joey!”at a zoo in Australia,people might think you were talking to a kangaroo.Joey is the name for a baby kangaroo.If you think that is interesting,there are some other things you should know about kangaroos.

Kangaroos are a special kind of mammal called a marsupial.Baby marsupials must live in a pouch on their mother’s abdomen.They have to live in the pouch because they are not fully developed when they are born.Ordinary mammals give birth to developed young with eyes,noses,inner organs,and limbs.Baby kangaroos have to finish their development in the pouch.

Kangaroos live only in Australia and New Guinea.Some live on grassy plains.Some live in forests.Some even live on golf courses.

Kangaroos are a type of mammal called a marsupial.Baby marsupials are unable to survive on their own when they are born,so they must live in a pouch on their mother’s belly.A newborn kangaroo,called a joey,stays in its mother’s pouch for about six months,where it feeds on her milk.

There are more than 50kinds of kangaroos.Tree kangaroos,such as the Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo shown here,are clumsy on land but nimble in trees.

A kangaroo has powerful hind legs and can jump as far as 16feet (5meters)in a single leap.Its tail is used for balance while jumping.

The red kangaroo is one of the largest kangaroos.Here,a young kangaroo,known as a joey,feeds on its mother’s milk by placing its head inside her pouch.

A baby kangaroo is called a joey.It lives in its mother’s pouch until it is old enough to move around on its own.

What Kangaroos Look Like?