Different varieties of kangaroos have different eating habits, although all are strict herbivores, which mean their diet consists mainly of grasses.
The three main types of kangaroo: Eastern grey kangaroo estimate population in 1996 was 10’000’000, Red kangaroo estimate population in 1996 was 10’000’000 and the Western grey kangaroo estimate population in 1996 was 3’000’000.
The Eastern Grey Kangaroo is primarily a grazer consuming an extensive variety of grasses whereas The Red Kangaroo has significant amounts of shrubs in the diet.
All kangaroos have a stomach alike to cattle and sheep. They regurgitate the vegetation they have eaten, chew it as cud, and then swallow it again for ultimate digestion.
For the reason that it grazes, kangaroos contain developed specialized teeth. Its incisors are capable of cropping grass close to the soil, and its molars chop and grind the grass.
Western grey kangaroos eat mostly grass but will leaf through certain inhabitant shrubs. They use microorganisms in the caecum to break down the cellulose of these plants. They can survive on plants high in fibre but low in nitrogen, and need very little water.
Kangaroo species that are adapted to the drier regions need very little water. Red Kangaroos can go without water altogether if there is fresh green grass available.
Some Kangaroos feed around watering holes, but they are capable of going four months without any water. Lack of nutrition can be a cause for death, but most often occurs with the young that do not have body reserves.
One of the reasons kangaroos can go so long without drinking water is due to kangaroos feeding on plants; kangaroos get their water consumption from the plants they eat. So just because they aren’t drinking water, doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t consuming it all together…
Kangaroos normally eat at night. In the cooler months of the year, they will come out to feed during the day as well. Kangaroos will eat shoots and leaves from shrubs and grass trees. The time they use grazing varies by the season, but ranges from anywhere among six and thirteen hours.
Kangaroos are skilful swimmers, and when in water, they drown their predators by forcing the predator underwater with their strong forepaws.
The digestive system of the kangaroo is unique because unlike cows methane is not exhaled. Alternatively, the hydrogen by product is changed into acetate and reused for the production of additional energy.
