Animals - Animal types and traits - Kangaroos - Mammals - Animal locomotion - Animal behavior
Why can large kangaroos hardly walk backwards?
Correct!
Kangaroos have a very unusual way of moving. At higher speeds, they move with powerful jumps on their two hind legs, while the long tail provides stability and balance. The large hind legs are extremely specialized for this forward movement. Things get even more interesting when moving slowly: kangaroos practically use their tail like a fifth leg. They support their front legs and tail on the ground and then swing both hind legs forward together. Researchers refer to this form of movement as pentapedal locomotion. It is precisely this combination of large feet, hind legs moving together and a powerful supporting tail that makes normal backward walking extremely difficult. Therefore, members of the kangaroo family cannot simply walk backwards like a human can, for example. However, one should not understand the well-known sentence “Kangaroos cannot move backwards at all” in absolute terms. For example, large kangaroos can make smaller backward jumps or evasive movements when fighting. However, normal, efficient forward and backward locomotion is not possible for them.
The strong tail is an important support point when moving slowly and acts almost like a fifth leg.
