Locomotion energetics and gait characteristics of a rat-kangaroo, Bettongia penicillata , have some kangaroo-like features

Kangaroo rat locomotion: design for elastic energy storage or acceleration?

Mechanical stresses (force/cross-sectional area) acting in muscles, tendons and bones of the hindlimbs of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) were calculated during steady-speed hops and vertical jumps. Stresses were determined from both high-speed ciné films (light and X-ray) and force plate recordings, as well as from in vivo tendon force recordings. Stresses in each hindlimb support elemen...

The high aerobic capacity of a small, marsupial rat-kangaroo (Bettongia penicillata) is matched by the mitochondrial and capillary morphology of its skeletal muscles.

We examined the structure-function relationships that underlie the aerobic capacities of marsupial mammals that hop. Marsupials have relatively low basal metabolic rates (BMR) and historically were seen as 'low energy' mammals. However, the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus (family Macropodidae), has aerobic capacities equivalent to athletic placentals. It has an extreme aerobic scope (fAS) and its ...

A high prevalence of Theileria penicillata in woylies (Bettongia penicillata).

The woylie or brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata) is a medium-sized native Australian marsupial that has undergone a dramatic decline in numbers in recent years. Trypanosome parasites have been identified in the woylie but little is known about the prevalence and clinical impact of other haemoprotozoan parasites in these marsupials. In the present study, the occurrence and molecular ph...

Kangaroo mother care.

MCHIP’s Dr. Goldy Mazia is a Pediatrician/Public health physician with ample global newborn health experience. Dr. Mazia successfully practiced pediatrics in Colombia and in Israel for many years, before opting for a career in public health, where she has been recognized as a leading global expert. She serves as a newborn health expert on panels and in trainings around the world, including: the...

Kangaroo mother care.