Kangaroos in GURPS

Kangaroos are the largest macropods. They are found throught Australia. These animals are adapted to moving efficiently across long distances using a series of bounds. The large elastic tendons in their legs make this method of locomotion quite energy efficient, since the impact of landing stretches the tendons to provide most of the force for take-off. Kangaroos are good swimmers. They are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal, and spend the day resting in the shade.

Kangaroos travel singly or in herds called mobs, which can range from pairs to thousands. The size of the mob depends on the available forage in the habitat. They have a dominance hierarchy, with more dominant animals having preferential access to the better grazing and shading spots.

Kangaroos are strict herbivores. They mainly eat grass, although some species also browse on shrubs. The abrasive silica in the grass they eat eventually wears away a kangaroo's teeth - fortunately, they regularly drop old teeth and replace them with new ones. Kangaroos are able to get most of the water they need from their food, although they will drink water when it is available.

Kangaroo leather is known for being strong, tough, and pliable. Garments made from kangaroo leather can be both highly durable and yet comfortable as well. In addition to leather, kangaroos are often killed for their meat. Mankind also often kills kangaroos unintentionally, by vehicle collisions. This can cause significant damage to the vehicle as well as to the kangaroo. Kangaroos are not easily kept in captivity because they panic easily, scatter when startled, and can jump over most fences. Nevertheless, wild populations are commonly commercially culled for meat and leather, and to keep them from overgrazing range land.

• Red kangaroos Macropus rufus are the largest species of kangaroo. They are found in Australia's arid interior (which is most of Australia), and are adapted to a desert lifestyle with many water-conserving adaptations. Red kangaroo mobs typically number from 2 to 4, but may grow into the thousands in areas with rich forage.
• Eastern gray kangaroos Macropus giganteus are the kangaroo most commonly encountered by humans, and the second largest species of kangaroo. They live along Australia's mesic and wet east coast, and are common around towns and cities as well as grassland, scrub, bushland, woodland, and forest. Eastern grays are thought to be more common since the European colonization of Australia than before.
• Macropus ferragus is an extinct species of kangaroo that is the largest true kangaroo known to have existed. Adult males may have stood 2.5 meters high and had a mass of 150 kg.
• Western gray kangaroos Macropus fuliginosus are, despite their name, found in south Australia, from east to west, although they avoid the extreme east coast. They are very similar in appearance and size to the eastern gray.
• The antilopine kangaroo Macropus antilopinus is a large kangaroo from Australia's tropical north. The males are reddish-colored on top, while the females are uniform gray. They are most commonly encountered in ones or twos, but may accumulate into mobs of around 30.
• The common wallaroo or hill kangaroo Macropus robustus is a stocky kangaroo found across most of mainland Australia. They can go for months without drinking. Common wallaroos typically live in broken and rocky areas, mountainous terrain, rocky hills, and escarpments, and often shelter in caves for refuge from both predators and Australia's baking sun.
• The agile wallaby or sandy wallaby Macropus agilis is found in the tropical regions of north Australia and southern New Guinea, in grasslands, floodplains, and open woodlands.
• The black-striped wallaby or scrub wallaby Macropus dorsalis is found in north-east Australia. Its habitat is thick scrub, and consequently it is not commonly encountered.
• The tammar wallaby Macropus eugenii is a small kangaroo native to southern and western Australia, and has been introduced to New Zeeland. They live in thickets of bushes and other dense vegetation, but graze in adjacent grassy fields. They are able to drink seawater. This wallaby is used as a model organism for marsupials in science, and hence may often be found in biological research facilities.
• The western brush wallaby Macropus irma is found in coastal southwestern Australia, in flat open areas of short grass with open scrub and brush patches, including open forests.
• The whiptail wallaby Macropus parryi is found on grassy or wooded hills and slopes in coastal northeast Asutralia.
• Red-necked wallabies Macropus rufogriseus are found in scrub and dry (sclerophyll) forests in coastal and highland east Australia. Isolated colonies are present in Europe, the British Isles, and New Zeeland.

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