Hopping to Victory: An Evolutionary History of Kangaroos

Please enjoy this examination of the evolutionary history of the Macropods.
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[@Ucanthavethecallsigncornflakes]

Your use of Crash Bandicoot music did not go unnoticed. Great video as always!

[@hunterG60k]

I didn't realise that's what it was, was going to comment that it was a bit distracting lol

[@JV-km9xk]

what is the name of the soundtrack? i've been searching and can't find it.

[@dr.polaris6423]

It’s Pinstripe’s boss theme. I had to include it in the section covering potoroos considering that he is the most famous (and only) example of one in popular culture.

[@Ucanthavethecallsigncornflakes]

@@dr.polaris6423 Thank you! I've been thinking about what level it was from, since I watched video. Now I can rest.

[@frostbitetheannunakiiceind6574]

@@dr.polaris6423 whats the song in ur intro?

[@1998topornik]

Macropods are the most iconic marsupial lineage. They diversity is really astonishing. I wonder how they will name this giant member of macropus genus.

[@thelaughinghyenas8465]

I very much enjoyed it, but I would have wanted the best theories as to WHY the unique hopping kangaroos evolved.

[@altanativeftw2625]

Probably because of mutations that happened to occur in this one lineage of marsupials that made long distance travelling radically more efficient, and because the aridification of Australia as ice sheets expanded during the Late Cenozoic made efficient travel over long distances between oases of water and greenery an extremely beneficial trait that was heavily selected for.

[@thelaughinghyenas8465]

@@altanativeftw2625 , Possibly. But there must be a reason why this worked so well in Australia and never repeated anyplace else. There's no analog to a kangaroo except perhaps a pronghorn or an antelope. (Similar terrain). Why didn't something there proceed down the same evolutionary tree?

[@Qwertypigeon]

There are small hopping rodents like kangaroo rats jerboas and springhares which hop similarly. Australia lacks ungulates and many other large mammal groups, so that gave way for a unique hopping animal to occupy much more than a small rodentlike niche

[@sambeaumont4337]

The unique reproductive anatomy of marsupials necessitates the very early development of the forelimbs for climbing. Because the forelimbs develop for climbing very early, it’s not possible for them to adapt for a dramatically different purpose. This is why there aren’t any marsupials with flippers or forelimbs adapted for running over long distances; there’s no such thing as a “marsupial whale” or “marsupial gazelle” and there never will be. Hopping is the only way that marsupials could adapt for a highly mobile cursorial lifestyle, so that’s what ended up happening.

[@carlosalbuquerque22]

@@sambeaumont4337 However bandicoots have solved this problem with placental stalks, and many species have large claws and the pig-footed bandicoot was even hooved

[@tm43977]

Kangaroo's origins

[@maldambao6126]

therapist: "mammalian retrosaurs are not real, they can't hurt you" mammalian retrosaurs: 8:00

[@ottlika]

they're always doing movies about Megalodon and Mammoths, they should do one about the humanoid kangaroo, that would truly make you clench your pearls

[@BorderWise12]

I like the music goes from a beautiful digeridoo ambience to the Crash Bandicoot soundtrack. Nice. 😁👍

[@greenkoopa]

Love seeing your channel grow! You're at quadruple what you had when I first subscribed 🐢

[@Grand_History]

I think kangaroos are one animal that could actually survive if introduced to the African savanna

[@fenrirgg]

Someone needs to fund this!! I dream with wild kangaroos in Africa. It's so interesting to think about it.

[@juritudi57yearsago59]

So true, with how they reproduce and how fast they are. Maybe cheetahs could see a comeback as well

[@Mysterytour7]

Pinstripe Potoroo boss music?!!

[@TotallyACat]

13:10 - OMG! The Ty the Tasmanian Tiger music in the background! My childhood! 🥺

[@robrice7246]

7:58/8:14 - 8:21 So wouldn't they be convergent with theropod dinosaurs?

[@dr.polaris6423]

To a degree but with a more vertical human-like posture.

[@slappy8941]

They look like a therapod in a bunny suit.

[@HogBurger]

Another great doctor Polaris video, didn’t expect this

[@brianedwards7142]

I was in the Mt Crawford (plantation Scot's pine) forest once and a whole mob of 8-12 grey kangaroos just showed up. They were hopping at speed but so quiet that it was like they appeared from nowhere. They weren't aware of me either and one stopped about 2 meters away from me because I was blocking the way and for a moment it thought about it's options before hopping away at an angle. A farmer at My Crawford spent two days in freezing weather and had to crawl back to his home after a grey broke his femur.

[@kaysmith8992]

Short-faced kangaroos look like the closest mammals got to resemble bipedal dinosaurs.

[@justinwilliam6534]

Could you do the history of monotremes please.

[@ecurewitz]

Yes!

[@TheAnimalKingdom-tq3sz]

Tf2 Sniper liked this video

[@gattycroc8073]

amazing video as always.

[@SonLucasX]

I like your videos, but I'm Brazilian and I don't know English so I always need subtitles in Portuguese

[@riks081]

Thanks for another great video, enjoy hearing about the evolutionary history of animals from my home.

[@sauraplay2095]

Thank you for this dive into there family dr polaris!

[@beneficent2557]

Exhibit A in Kangaroo Court

[@SkinnerNoah]

I never realized there were so many living members of the kangaroo family. I only knew about the four Australian kangaroos and wallabies. I knew quokkas exist, but I didn't know they were kangaroos, so that's neat to learn. Great video, you've got a new subscriber

[@JohnshiBRPG]

15:33 best image used to explain Australia and kangaroos as country figures.

[@bkjeong4302]

While climate change is the more likely cause of exticntion for most of the Australian megafauna, it doesn’t really work for Procoptodon or the other late-surviving Australian megafauna (like megalania), which ended up surviving Australia’s aridification only to die out after human arrival. This especially applies to Procoptodon as it was in fact unusual among Australian megafauna in being adapted for arid conditions, meaning Australia’s desertification benefitted it.

[@qwellen7521]

Yeah also our track record as a species is disappointingly consistent. Megafauna “exists” Humanity “and i took that personally”

[@HogBurger]

@@qwellen7521 It sucks, it really does. Atleast Africa and Asia got to keep much of their megafauna.

[@carlosalbuquerque22]

Just heads up, anthropogenic activities have been vindicated as the more likely explanation for the extinction of the megafauna. Many specialised animals survive in Australia while several generalists went extinct, more in line with hunting than normal natural selection

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

RIP Uncanny Valley Stenurines.

[@leoneljm]

I really appreciated the Crash Bandicoot music

[@altanativeftw2625]

I LOVE KANGAROOS!

[@nirvanic3610]

I love this animal so much.

[@richardnicklin654]

Reminds me of the best of the old Tetzoo blog.

[@dr.polaris6423]

I'm glad you think that as Darren Naish was and is a huge inspiration to my channel.

[@Tarbtano]

Heeeey, I recognize that Ty music! Nice pick 😂

[@rursus8354]

Very certainly I don't have neighbors (or children) above the ceiling jumping around. And not lightning either. So the jumping sounds must be in the video.

[@Grant_Scarboro]

I wouldn't be surprised if that giant Macropus species gets the official name of M. rex.

[@keza3250]

High from Australia mate,but I'd like to tell you that the largest kangaroos in Australia Are a sub species of the grey kangaroo found around iluka NSW,larger than the common grey kangaroo or red kangaroo And the largest kangaroo in Australia is the new England euro or new England wallaroo can reach a height of 7 feet an is much more stocky in build than the red or grey kangaroo there found locally were I live on the NSW table lands There bloody massive But most foreigners only now of the red or grey being the largest Great vid mate ha ha thumbs up 👍

[@benw9949]

Dr. Polaris -- If you haven't already done the evolution and diversity of rabbits and hares (lagomorphs?) that could be very interesting. Were there giant versions in prehistoric mammals? (My comment on the kangaroos being like a cross between deer and giant rabbits, but marsupials, got me to thinking about prehistoric rabbit-like animals and wondering if any were very large.)

[@jacobjerny7502]

I believe there used to be a species or two of giant rabbits found on the various islands of the Mediterranean.

[@altanativeftw2625]

There were once giant rabbits! Nuralagus rex was an insular giant that lived on Minorca after the Zanclean flood. I'm sure our polar bear friend with a PhD will one day cover lagomorph evolution.

[@brianedwards7142]

When Frith was giving shapes to all the animals El-ahrairah hid from him on a hole so Frith could only work with his back, giving him long ears to hear his enemies, long hind legs to run away and a cottontail (I forget why, it's been a while since I re-read Watership down). And that is why all his children look like they do.

[@carlorielmendez6505]

0:38 never forget jerboas, they are like rodent's answer to kangaroos.

[@rafaelcalderabebber1198]

Really a awsome marsupial

[@Year2047]

No one expects Kangaroo Jack!

[@thabas7578]

👏, thats all i have got to say

[@quailking8265]

Third! and btw, I love Kangaroos!

[@HassanMohamed-jy4kk]

Right after the Sauropterygians, why don’t you also get to make a suggestion to create the KZbin Videos Shows about the evolution and the history of the Extinct Giant Birds Of Prey Species called the Teratornithidae, such as Teratornis, Aiolornis, Argentavis, Cathatornis, Oscaravis, and Taubatornis in the next couple of weeks to think about that one coming up next?!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍👍👍

[@altanativeftw2625]

There is still so much for the good doctor to cover. Teratorns, hippopotami, pigs, deer, pronghorns, procyonids, megalosaurids, heterodontosaurids, owls, anseriforms, galliforms, tapirs, koalas, wombats, bandicoots, monotremes, bats, lagomorphs, weigeltisaurids, and so much more.

[@reeyees50]

10:50 for QUOKKA

[@genghiskhan6809]

Procoptodon is even more of a cursed image than I thought.

[@dynojackal1911]

Please continue your Alter-Earth video series. Reading the entries on DeviantArt isn't enough.

[@chasechristophermurraydola9314]

If you don’t mind me asking but can you do a video on the evolution of either the Palorchestidaes or Diprotodontidae and I am asking because I am interested in Palorchestidae and Diprotodontidae because they along with the marsupial lions aka Thylacoleonidae, Wynyardiidae, ilariidae, Maradidae and Mukupirnidae are the extinct relatives of the wombat and koala but the Palorchestidae, Diprotodontidae and thylacoleonidea interest me the most and I know you already did a video on the thylacoleonidea but I would like to see a video on either the Palorchestidae or the Diprotodontidae and they interested me in many ways and the Palorchestidae interest me because with their noses they look like tapirs even though they aren’t related however I like Diprotodontidae because they grew to immense sizes with the first ones to appear were mostly sheep sized however by the Pliocene and Pleistocene they grew to rhino sized forms including diprotodon itself which was the largest marsupial to ever live and besides Australia Diprotodontidae also lived in New Guinea and diprotodon itself besides being the largest marsupial it was also the only known marsupial and metatherian to have made seasonal migrations and diprotodon was also the main prey for Thylacoleo carnifex but besides thylacoleo it was also hunted by the saltwater crocodile, the extinct crocodilians Paludirex and Quinkana however besides crocodiles diprotodon was Also hunted by lizards and not just any lizard the lizard that hunted diprotodon was the extinct giant Varanus Priscus aka Megalania.

[@mhdfrb9971]

Also Thylacoleo have the strongest bite force of all mammal relative to their size.

[@ewaszot1243]

6:55 what is this music from

[@bigyin2586]

16.30 Aboriginal humans probably not responsible for giant kangaroo extinction, which occurred just after the time of their arrival in Australia, but modern kangaroos “threatened” by European humans (even though there are probably more kangaroos in Australia now than 1788). Keeping it korrekt.

[@maccamac9965]

I love how you used a bogan for the human size comparison.🤣

[@benw9949]

Kanagaroos -- sort of like a cross between a deer and a giant rabbit. Amazing. (I remember seeing kangaroos and wallabies at the zoo as a kid. Someone needed to muck out the enclosure. Whew. Strong smell. Not the animals' fault, though. And very interesting.

[@benw9949]

(1) "Fangaroo" -- a quadrupedal pre-kangaroo relative with fangs -- carnivorous kangaroo-cat-dogs? (2) Arboreal kangaroos -- What if they never really left the trees, they just began including time on the ground more for a while, and kept their tree-dwelling habits? Then they went back to the trees. Or do they still spend some time on the ground, so it's a current features, split between arboreal and ground-dwelling? (3) Genus "Potterus" -- With the elusive "Pooterus harricus," a magic-wielding miniature wizard kangaroo which keeps a wand in their pouch and may wear glasses, a wizrd's hat, and a robe and bicolor scarf. Members of this species have been known in the wizarding world, Winnie the Pooh,'s friend Kanga and her joey Roo, and an as-yet-unknown possible Time Lord Companion with a multi-color overly-long scarf, also fond of sonic screwdrivers rather than wands, and inhabiting a blue or red police box TARDIS....

[@barbararice6650]

Cross between a Mexican and giant rat if you ask me 👈😕

[@andrewbaker6056]

Swol. Got me

[@drnox8268]

Another important bit of trivia is that roos’ leg bones are thin and immensely strong, comprising ‘webbed’ bone, similar to aircraft alloy construction. The downside of this is that they don’t survive broken legs or feet, and have to be euthanised when injured - which often occurs when hit by vehicles or when caught in poorly designed wire fencing (the majority of our fences). The only way their bones can heal is if the animal is sedated and confined for months - sedation side effects can kill them, and they don’t tolerate confinement. RIP Skippy.

[@princesseville6889]

Ugh so same story as birds wings. Extremely strong, but once broken and you can forget the whole animal. Damn, nature...

[@drnox8268]

@@princesseville6889 : more or less, although strangely, we routinely save and release a large variety and number of birds (& even bats) post # wing. Relatively small numbers are euthed post untreatable injuries.

[@edwinreveron870]

Please make a video of Panthera Shawi, and their evolution into common leopards, Mosbach lions, today's lions, cave lions, American lions, and jaguars...

[@edwinreveron870]

Can you please make a video of the evolution of Panthera palaeosinensis, into Panthera blytheae, snow leopards, Panthera zdanskyi, and tigers..

[@satanofficial3902]

Once Sonny got old enough and she no longer had to worry about him falling down a well all the time, Skippy left Waratah National Park and hopped west to get herself her dream education. Skippy got her doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Jerramungup in Western Australia and was one of the first to point out that Australia should really be called the Land Up Over since regarding the solar system from the southern ecliptic is the correct view and on world maps the South Pole should be at the top. Professor Skippy is a bit of a nitpicker when it comes to actual, specific details. Professor Skippy is currently teaching multiverse hyperdimensional dynamics at the University of Toowoomba in Queensland. "No wonder world affairs are so topsy-turvy if everyone always keeps seeing the planet upside down!" ---Professor Skippy In her off time, Professor Skippy is an avid surfer and loves to hit the waves at nearby Gold Coast or down north at the Sunshine Coast. "Rooabunga! Surf's up! Grab your boards!" is her favorite funtime beach mantra. Professor Skippy has already won several prestigious awards in the kangaroo surfing categories. "Surf to live. Live to surf." ---Professor Skippy Professor Skippy is also an accomplished musician and is regarded as a world-class didgerido player and is famous for playing Chopin sonatas on the didgerido. She often plays as guest first-chair didgerido in the Toowoomba Philharmonic Orchestra. When modern life becomes a little too hectic, Professor Skippy will take time off and go hopabout across the Queensland landscape to reestablish Dreamtime in her soul.

[@satanofficial3902]

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo says... "True!" 🦘

[@satanofficial3902]

"When is Northern Territory going to get a REAL name? Calling it North Australia would be so cliché as there are already South Australia and Western Australia. My vote would be to call it Slartibartfastland in memory of Slartibartfast designing the planet in the first place for the sake of pan-dimensional hyper-intelligent mice. It's because of Slartibartfast that Australia even exists." ---Professor Skippy

[@baiwatch1]

You couldn’t help using another Crash Bandicoot track could you? ;). Someone’s a fan.

[@dr.polaris6423]

Ah you caught me! Yeah, I grew up with those games and some of the music really slaps in my opinion.

[@J242D]

Kangaroo Lore 🗣️📈🦘

[@wild_skelly]

Elmo has a question:when will you continue the alter earth series?

[@Denneth_D.]

When the day of reckoning comes and the sky becomes red That’s when a certain Polar bear will bless us with a long needed upload (tho you can check their DA for Alter earth stuff)

[@Sirdilophosaurusthethird2.0]

Noice

[@erichtomanek4739]

Climate swings and changes during this ice age from glacial to interglacial periods would definitely have put Australia's megafauna under stress. But it was the invasion and colonisation by the aborigines that ultimately caused their extinction. Aborigines hunted animals that had not evolved behaviours to avoid humans successfully, like those in Africa. Aborigines burned the land causing wholesale destruction of ecosystems and a replacement of what was there with new fire adapted vegetation that the megafauna couldn't successfully adapt to.

[@MrJonnyPepper]

But why do they hop?

[@ChrisNoonetheFirst]

I always thought wombats were just female bats

[@robrice7246]

13:32 So wouldn't this species have similar anatomy to the sthenurine group?

[@sassa82]

The background noice is really annoying. Maybe try a smoother music and little lower volume.

[@Thebonesoftrees]

European arrival stopped rampant slavery and cannibalism. They also created the taxonomy and scientific basis for study resulting in you having a channel where you speak and dream in English.

[@billyr2904]

All macropodids look like the combination between either lagomorphs and primates, lagomorphs and cervids or lagomorphs and rodents.

[@scottmccrea1873]

Tree kangaroos are still a thing because monkeys neverr made it to New Guinea or Australia. If they had, nothiing as gentle and awkward would've survived.

[@obambagaming1467]

The background music gets kinda distracting sometimes

[@mistersir3020]

But why are kangaroos the world's most populous roadkill

[@southron_d1349]

Pademelon is pronounced "paddy-melon". Female Red Kangaroos are often called "blue fliers".

[@bustavonnutz]

9:30 I never understand these "human hunting" answers when we know that over time hunter-gatherers will level their intake around the maximum sustainable yield over generations. That's why Africa, the origin of humanity, is still a refugia for pleistocene megafauna, with disruption of the societal balance leading to increased destruction of the local ecosystem. Human hunting has nothing on habitat conversion, which is the biggest driver of exinction both past & present. Personally, I'm shocked that Humans even survived the aridification of Australia, but it's all the more fascinating that they did.

[@Ozraptor4]

Fairly unambiguous that the arrival of the human hunters obliterated the terrestrial megafauna of New Zealand, Madagascar, New Caledonia & Hawaii within a few centuries.

[@bustavonnutz]

@@Ozraptor4 Islands constantly undergo disruption because of how fragile they are, same things happened when snakes or birds-of-prey show up; however, Humans cohabitated with Australian megafauna for nearly 20k years before they went extinct. New Caledonia or Mauritius isn't a decent comparison to Australia.

[@barbararice6650]

How and why did they learn to box 😑

[@bigyin2586]

12.20 “pademelon” is pronounced “paddy melon” not “pay demelon”

[@PlainsPup]

If kangaroos somehow had to compete with ruminants like deer, antelope, or sheep, how do you think they’d fare?

[@drnox8268]

To this point, we have routine large scale roo culling, as they compete very well against domesticated animals for food - ie sheep, cattle. Even though sheep tend to eat grass down to the roots, whereas roos don’t do that.

[@markshort9098]

They fair better than deer, cattle and sheep

[@mhdfrb9971]

@@markshort9098 not better than the Pronghorns

[@drnox8268]

@@mhdfrb9971 : or bloody rabbits …

[@gregorysagegreene]

"Don't call me 'Wal-labia'? You're being a dick!" 🦘

[@connorflaherty175]

Kangaroos are the archetypal marsupials.

[@Achilles_Heelys]

please dont use music during your lectures. it's very distracting for me /:

[@JV-km9xk]

shame. a good number of other viewers like it. to each his own i suppose.

[@raphlvlogs271]

So why is Australia so flat in terms of geography?

[@b.a.erlebacher1139]

Not much recent mountain building, and the older mountains have been eroded flat.

[@aunijaz2916]

🦘

[@daniellacasse6442]

I generally love ALL of your videos, but in this case, I am annoyed by the music that you've chosen to insert for no apparent reason. It is for me, only a nuisance. Thank you.

[@louKushh]

see what happens when you don't have real carnivores on your continent. you get weird shit like this. god bless cats and dogs.