What animals are there in Oceania?

Living marsupials are distributed in the grasslands of Oceania and South America, but they may be distributed in most parts of the world in the late Cretaceous and early Tertiary. They are a group of ancient mammals. With the rise of higher mammals-real mammals, they are at a disadvantage in the competition for survival, especially becoming the prey of carnivores, making them extinct in Asia, Europe and Africa. Prior to this, Oceania had been separated from other continents, forming a "Xanadu", isolated between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Not only did higher mammals such as carnivores not invade, but the climate and environment did not change much. This has enabled marsupials to survive to this day, and because they have adapted to various lifestyles, they have developed various ecological groups similar to higher mammals, such as marsupials and marsupials whose lifestyles are similar to those of carnivores such as wolves and ferrets; Kangaroos whose lifestyles are similar to those of herbivores such as deer, sheep and antelope; Lifestyles are similar to marmots, squirrels, rabbits and other rodents or rabbits, such as wombats, minks and marsupials. Therefore, Oceania has become an important area to study the adaptation of animals to radiation and evolutionary convergence, and is called "Living Fossil Museum".

It should be noted that the first marsupial described by zoologists was not in Oceania, but in Brazil in South America. In addition to Oceania, marsupials are also found in some parts of America, with more than 70 species. How to explain their origin? Some people think that it is because of some accidental opportunity that the ancestors of smaller marsupials who lived in arboreal life crossed the ocean to America with the help of trunks or other objects of big trees. Because there are relatively few natural enemies here, they survived and multiplied. However, whether this "drift" theory is correct remains to be verified or improved.

There are about 237 species of marsupials, belonging to more than ten families, such as opossum, weasel, kangaroo, marsupial, neokangaroo, female, wombat, kangaroo and so on. Among them, the distribution of new kangaroos is limited to parts of South America, opossums are distributed in parts of South America and North America, and the rest are distributed in Oceania.

Among marsupials, kangaroo is the most famous and lovely rare animal, and its image appears on the national emblem of Australia, so that it has almost become synonymous with Australia. There is an interesting story about the origin of its English name. It is said that in the18th century, an English navigator led his fleet to Oceania for the first time. When they saw this monster with short forelegs and long hind legs, they were very surprised and asked the local natives what to call this animal. The natives answered, "Kang Lu". Thus, "Kang Lu" became the English name of kangaroo, which is still used today. But later people realized that "Kangaru" originally meant "don't know" in the local dialect.

Kangaroos are typical marsupials, with about 52 species, distributed in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and several nearby islands, and introduced to New Zealand. Most species are terrestrial, and only kangaroo is arboreal. The gray kangaroo living in the forest and bush and red kangaroo living in the grassland are the largest marsupials and the representative species of kangaroos. Their body length is about 1.5m, their tail length is about 1.2m, and their weight is 70-90kg. They look strange, so if people like them. They have small heads, big ears and big eyes. Adapted to the jumping lifestyle, the forelimbs are short and thin and can be used to grab food. The hind legs are strong and the toes are close together. One step can jump 5 meters, and the speed can reach 40-65 kilometers per hour. When the tail grows up, it is the supporting organ when perching and the balancer when jumping. Stay in the daytime and go out at night, hiding in grass nests or shallow holes during the day. Like to gather small groups, mainly plant food. It breeds once a year, and each fetus gives birth to 1-2 offspring, with a gestation period of about 33 days.

Since Europeans immigrated to Australia in 1788, many new animals have been introduced, and the original living conditions of many marsupials have been destroyed. Due to various natural and social factors, six kangaroos have become extinct. Due to the intensification of human economic activities, it has brought many adverse effects on the survival of marsupials in the future. At present, about 17 species of marsupials are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and 7 species are listed in Appendix II. If the living marsupials are not strictly protected, this group, which is very unique and has important academic significance in the evolution of mammals, will eventually decrease or become extinct rapidly with the further increase of human economic activities.