# Would wild kangaroos do well in Africa? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352 "2013-05-02T20:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/1 "2013-05-02T20:40:16Z")
Do invasive species ever originate in a small ecosystem and take over a much larger one? It seems the ones that invaded Australia came from larger ecosystems and according to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species_of_Australian_origin), the invasive species from Australia end up taking over a smaller ecosystem (New Zealand). So if a bunch of wild kangaroo are released in Africa or South America, would they do well or would they be quickly wiped out? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/2 "2013-05-02T20:51:17Z")
They would look like food to a lot more predators than they’re used to. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/3 "2013-05-02T21:46:24Z")
Seeing how well [camels took to Australia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_feral_camel); Kangaroos probably could do the same in reverse (that is, if we took human predation out of the equation). ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/4 "2013-05-02T21:52:54Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They would look like food to a lot more predators than they’re used to. I second this. South America and Africa have large predatory species of cats (lions, leopards, jaguars, cougars) that are not found in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/5 "2013-05-02T22:06:28Z")
Disease issues?:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/6 "2013-05-02T22:07:20Z")
Kangaroos around here (Georgia) die of toxoplasmosis very frequently. I wonder if that is the same in Australia, or if, due to the difference in ecosystem, the animals are easily stressed in the new environments that they get infected and die. Also, I wonder if/when cats were introduced to Australia. They are reservoirs for Toxoplasma, which is the agent causing toxoplasmosis. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/7 "2013-05-02T22:49:22Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I second this. South America and Africa have large predatory species of cats (lions, leopards, jaguars, cougars) that are not found in Australia. Australia has dingos and feral dogs, which while not feline, are certainly predators. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/8 "2013-05-02T22:57:42Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Australia has dingos and feral dogs, which while not feline, are certainly predators. Apparently so, and maybe endangering them in Australia if the number of wild dogs continues to increase. But that seems to be a recent thing, kanagaroos may never have survived facing the number of wild dogs now there. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/9 "2013-05-02T23:11:03Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I second this. South America and Africa have large predatory species of cats (lions, leopards, jaguars, cougars) that are not found in Australia. > [@Namkcalb](#): > > Australia has dingos and feral dogs, which while not feline, are certainly predators. Yeah, that was my thought. I wonder how well African wild dogs and hyenas would prey on kangaroos. Surely they’d happily take down a young 'roo, but I think a herd of kangaroos would be able to defend themselves pretty well. Africa doesn’t really have large canines like wolves outside of the badly endangered Ethiopian wolf, and since there’s fewer than one thousand of those, they aren’t much of a threat. I would imagine that North American or European grey wolves would be extremely effective predators of kangaroos, however, if they found themselves in the same habitat. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/10 "2013-05-02T23:16:56Z")
And upon doing my research, I find that kangaroos evolved in an environment with a significant predator: the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. Maybe they’d do better than I assumed, but I can’t imagine that they’d become major pests. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/11 "2013-05-02T23:22:14Z")
A kangaroo (43mph) doesn’t have to move faster than a lion (49mph). He just needs to move faster than the zebra (40mph) he’s standing next to. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/12 "2013-05-02T23:47:31Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Apparently so, and maybe endangering them in Australia if the number of wild dogs continues to increase. But that seems to be a recent thing, kanagaroos may never have survived facing the number of wild dogs now there. The best estimates I’ve seen place the number of 'roos in Australia at around 50 million. When we have a drought there are so many of the bloody things move into the city areas that cars are a far bigger danger to their population than dogs ever could be. Adult male kangaroos can be nasty and have been known to attack people. When cornered they are more than capable of killing dogs. Some stories of when roo’s attack [here](http://www.amazingaustralia.com.au/animals/kangaroo_attacks.htm) (may favourite is the incident in the Netherlands). > [@appleciders](#): > > And upon doing my research, I find that kangaroos evolved in an environment with a significant predator: the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. Maybe they’d do better than I assumed, but I can’t imagine that they’d become major pests. And [this guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsupial_lion) and his family. > [@](#): > > The marsupial lion’s limb proportions and muscle mass distribution indicate that, although it was a powerful animal, it was not a particularly fast runner. Palaeontologists conjecture that it was an ambush predator, either sneaking up and then leaping upon its prey, or dropping down on it from overhanging tree branches. It is thought to have hunted large animals such as the Hippopotamus-sized Diprotodon and giant browsing kangaroos like Sthenurus and Procoptodon. Despite its size it may not have been a true apex predator as it shared at least part of its range with the 6 m (20 ft) long goanna Megalania. The marsupial lion may have cached kills in trees in a manner similar to the modern Leopard.[8] Like many predators, it was probably also an opportunistic scavenger, feeding off carrion and driving off less powerful predators from their kills. If it was a small mob that got loose in Africa they would probably die out pretty quickly. A larger group that could survive attrition for a few years might eventually create a viable population. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/13 "2013-05-03T01:22:36Z")
I think the major issue would be large carnivores, Australia doesn’t really have them besides the Tasmanian Tiger (now extinct) and Dingo. They are both fairly small and don’t pose a huge problem to the kangaroos. FYI Kangaroo is yummy, ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/14 "2013-05-03T04:16:33Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > I think the major issue would be large carnivores, Australia doesn’t really have them besides the Tasmanian Tiger (now extinct) and Dingo. They are both fairly small and don’t pose a huge problem to the kangaroos. That’s a fairly recent phenomenon (evolutionarily speaking). There’re no large animals there (in Australia) because they got hunted into extinction by the early humans/protohumans, just like in the Americas. (source: 'Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond) ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/15 "2013-05-03T04:55:30Z")
This chart seems to indicate that Kangaroos have a top speed comparable faster than a Thomsons Gazelle. [http://www.speedofanimals.com/animals/kangaroo](http://www.speedofanimals.com/animals/kangaroo) Thomsons Gazelles thrive all over Africa. However the Kangaroo would do especially well in Arid areas, they could survive in areas where there is not enough water to support the larger predators due to the various adaptions they have for Arid climates. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/16 "2013-05-03T05:41:38Z")
IIRC, another advantage of roos is that they are efficient movers. I remember some bio mechanical analysis which indicated that, far from that bouncing motion wasting energy in the vertical axis, the tail acts as a counterweight so that the centre of mass stays at a uniform height while the animal is in motion. This allows them to keep up a good pace for extended periods, unlike animals whose sprint speed is soon exhausted like hunting felines and common African prey animals. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/17 "2013-05-03T07:12:49Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > Kangaroos around here (Georgia) die of toxoplasmosis very frequently. I wonder if that is the same in Australia, or if, due to the difference in ecosystem, the animals are easily stressed in the new environments that they get infected and die. > > Also, I wonder if/when cats were introduced to Australia. They are reservoirs for Toxoplasma, which is the agent causing toxoplasmosis. I don’t know but I guarantee it was more that 200 years ago. The first ships would have had them to keep the rats down. Yes we have both cats and toxo, but I’ve never heard of that being a problem for 'roos. One reason might be that the remaining 'roos live in the outback (either farms or desert) whereas cats tend to live in urban or scrubland areas. They kill a lot of local wildlife, but not 'roos so far as I know. FWIW there is a herd of kangaroos that live wild in England, Somewhere like Devon or Cornwall IIRC. Ah, [here we are](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_kangaroo) - also in France, Japan and other unlikely places. ---
**Author:** ![thicksantorum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@thicksantorum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thicksantorum)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/18 "2013-05-03T07:24:30Z")
Depends how they manage against new parasites and diseases, moreso than against new large predators. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/19 "2013-05-03T07:28:49Z")
> [@Battle Pope's link](#): > > … it [the marsupial lion]was an ambush predator… dropping down on it from overhanging tree branches. > And [link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsupial_lion) Okay, I know you all warned us about the dropbears, but you didn’t say a word about the droplions!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352/20 "2013-05-03T07:37:17Z")
Wild kangaroos do well [in France](http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/12/1068329596677.html) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wild-kangaroos-do-well-in-africa/657352.md?page=2)