Research for first time suggests tendon and bones in heavier species would have made bounding possible
Giant 250kg kangaroos that once roamed Australia would probably have been able to hop despite their enormous size, researchers have said.
While modern kangaroos are known for their ability to travel large distances by jumping with both hind legs at the same time, it has long been debated whether their extinct relatives would have been so springy.
“When [modern kangaroos] hop, the achilles tendon gets really, really pulled and stressed,” said Dr Megan Jones of the University of Manchester, the lead researcher on the study. “And that’s great because it stores a lot of energy so when they go to the next hop, it’s quite energetically efficient.
“But it does imply that if [kangaroos] get bigger and they don’t change anything else, then you will get to the point where you just snap that tendon.”
