Red kangaroo  (Macropus rufus)

This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
arkive@wildscreen.org.uk

• Embryonic diapause: also known as delayed implantation. A reproductive strategy found in some mammals, such as some marsupial, rodent, bear and mustelid species, in which the embryo does not immediately implant in the uterus, but remains dormant, only implanting and continuing development when conditions are favourable. This strategy allows the female to give birth when survival of the offspring is more likely, such as when environmental conditions are more favourable or the previous offspring has been weaned.
• Gestation: the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth.
• Marsupial: a diverse group of mammals characterised by their reproduction, in which gestation is very short, and the female typically has a pouch (marsupium) in which the young are raised. When born, the tiny young crawls to the mother’s teats, where it attaches and stays for a variable amount of time, whilst it continues to develop. Marsupials also differ from placental mammals in their dentition.

1. IUCN Red List (September, 2009)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. Nowak, R.M. (1991) Walker’s Mammals of the World. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London.
3. Dawson, T.J. (1995) Kangaroos: Biology of the Largest Marsupials. UNSW Press, Sydney.
4. Cronin, L. (2008) Cronin’s Key Guide Australian Mammals. Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
5. Tyndale-Biscoe, H. (2005) Life of Marsupials. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria.
6. Macdonald, D.W. (2006) The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
7. Department of Environment and Conservation. (2007) Red Kangaroo Management Plan. Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia. Available at: http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,2219/gid,1220/task,doc_details/
8. Newsome, A.E. (1965) Reproduction in natural populations of the red kangaroo, Megaleia rufa (Desmarest), in central Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology, 13: 735 - 759.
9. Sharman, G.B. and Pilton, P.E. (1962) The life history and reproduction of the red kangaroo (Megaleia rufa). Journal of Zoology, 142: 29 - 48.
10. Pople, T. and Grigg, G. (1998) Commercial Harvesting of Kangaroos in Australia. Environment Australia, Canberra. Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/wild-harvest/kangaroo/harvesting/roobg-01.html
11. Department for Environment and Heritage. (2007) The Kangaroo Conservation and Management Plan for South Australia 2008 - 2012. Department for Environment and Heritage, Adelaide. Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/sources/management-plans/pubs/sa-kangaroo-08.pdf
12. Department of Environment and Conservation. (2007) Management Plant for the Commercial Harvest of Kangaroos in Western Australia 2008 - 2012. Department of Environment and Conservation, Perth. Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/sources/management-plans/pubs/wa-kangaroo-08.pdf
13. Department of Environment and Conservation. (2006) Draft New South Wales Kangaroo Management Plan 2007 - 2011. Department of Environment and Conservation, Sydney. Available at: http://www.nswfarmers.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2160/SUB_Draft_Kangaroo_Management_Plan_2007-2011.pdf
14. Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts. (2008) Assessment of the Conservation and Management of the Red Kangaroo Macropus rufus and Euro Macropus robustus in the Northern Territory. Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, Palmerston. Available at: http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/programs/pdf/kangaroo_assessment.pdf