Hello curiousone99-ga!
What an interesting question! I read your question earlier today and
looked forward to reading the answer from a researcher. Well, it has
been on my mind since and in checking back and seeing that it hadn?t
yet been answered, curiosity impelled me to do some research and find
out the answer myself! I must say, along with the answer to your
question, I?ve learned several other very interesting facts about
kangaroos! I?m including some links and sites that may interest you as
part of my answer. If you have the kind of mind to come up with
questions like this, you?re sure to enjoy the other tidbits found on
some of these sites!
To answer your question simply, the joey?s waste is neither absorbed
nor expelled, it is licked and consumed by the mother kangaroo. Isn?t
that appetizing, I mean interesting!
Here are several references that support this mechanism for cleaning the pouch:
The first is from Billabong Sanctuary, Australian Wildlife Experience
( http://www.billabongsanctuary.com.au/ ), an organization that has
accreditation from the Australian Ecotourism Association.
Basically, the mother kangaroo licks the pouch clean in order to birth
the joey and continues to clean the pouch as she?s nursing and raising
the joey.
Here is some information about that as well as a little more (it?s
such interesting information!):
?The young is born 33 days after mating. To get ready for the birth of
the joey, the female will lick the pouch clean, and lean up against
the base of a tree, resting on her hindquarters with her tail passed
between her hind legs.
The baby Kangaroo is hairless and tiny, barely the size of a peanut,
and weighing less than a gram (< 0.03 oz). Nevertheless, it leaves the
birth canal and makes its way into the pouch unassisted by the mother.
This journey takes about 15 minutes-- an amazing task for such a
minute, sightless creature, using only rudimentary forelimbs to claw
its way upwards through her fur.
Once inside the pouch, the miniature joey attaches itself to one of
the 4 teats. It will suckle exclusively from this one teat until it is
weaned.
A day or two later, the female will breed again, but the embryo
resulting from this second pairing will remain dormant inside her body
until the first joey has left the pouch. Once the pouch has been
vacated, or if the joey in the pouch dies, the dormant embryo will
start to develop to replace it. This remarkable feature of Kangaroo
reproduction is called embryonic diapause.?
And the page goes on to describe, more particularly, the subject about
which you?ve asked:
?While the very young joey is developing inside her pouch, the mother
will continue to lick the pouch clean, and will consume the joey's
waste products.?
http://www.billabongsanctuary.com.au/article2.asp?Id=128&group=mammals
There is quite a bit of interesting information on that page that I
hope you?ll enjoy.
*********************
I?ve found several other references at various websites, including the following:
This website mentions the pre-birth cleaning:
?Usually the female begins to clean out her pouch several days before
she gives birth to a joey.?
Red Kangaroos
http://www.red-kangaroos.com/red-kangaroos-general-information.htm
This site contains several links to even more information about kangaroos.
**********************
This website mentions the continual cleaning while nursing the young joey:
?The female gives birth to one offspring after a gestation period of
approximately 44 days. After birth, the fetus-like young crawls to a
teat located inside the mother?s pouch where it attaches itself to
nurse (lactation phase). The majority of the infant?s development
occurs during lactation. It remains in the pouch for about eight to 10
months. The mother will clean her pouch and groom the infant often
during this phase. After the infant initially leaves the pouch, it
will continue to return to the pouch to nurse. This "in and out" phase
lasts for one or two months. During the final phase, the young still
nurses but never climbs completely into the pouch. The young is weaned
approximately one year after birth.?
Woodland Park Zoo ? Matschie?s Tree Kangaroo Fact Sheet
http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/roo/treeroo.htm
**********************
This site explains how the pouch works and refers again to the mother
cleaning the pouch:
?Why don't joeys fly out of mum's pouch when she's hopping? The female
kangaroo can control the muscles that control the size of her pouch
and the size of the opening. She can contract the muscles, pulling the
pouch tight against the body. If she wants to clean her pouch and
wants the joey out, she can also relax the opening allowing the joey
to fall out.?
Kangaroos ? On the Ground ? Our Animals
http://www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/animals/KANGAROOS.htm
**********************
And I?ve also found this message board that has additional interesting
information. I?m giving you the cached link so that you can find the
information easily on the page.
?Q. Kangaroos don't use nappies, so what becomes of a joey's waste
products? How does the mother keep her pouch clean?
I believe this is the answer you are looking for ;)
A. The female kangaroo has one of the longest tongues in the animal
kingdom, relative to body mass, and other marsupials follow close
behind. Their tongue is long enough to wipe out the inside of the
pouch, and they do this at regular intervals while the joey is
temporarily outside. I think the word "clean" is somewhat relative,
but at least most of the muck is removed.?
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:-inVrE3elLEJ:forums.armageddononline.org/archive/index.php/t-678-p-2.html+kangaroo+clean+pouch+joey+waste&hl=en&start=9
That question-answer is brought to you by Armageddon Online, a site
that hosts an ongoing and verified trivia game. Creative concept.
Thank you for your interesting question! I enjoy researching questions
like yours?it?s great fun to read such fascinating stuff! I hope that
you find this information helpful and useful. Should you need further
clarification, please let me know how I can help!
Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga
Search Terms Used:
Kangaroo pouch clean
Kangaroo lick pouch
Kangaroo pouch clean joey
Kangaroo pouch clean joey waste |
