99 The Greatest Jumper

The world's best jumpers all come from Australia. Most Olympic athletes train for years before they succeed in making a twenty-foot long jump. But the kangaroo, the greatest jumper on earth, can travel in twenty-foot leaps, moving almost as fast as a car on the highway!

The kangaroo's build enables it to travel at this high speed for extremely long distances without stopping. Its small head and short front feet reduce resistance to the wind, giving the animal a streamlined appearance. All of the kangaroo's weight is concentrated on the back of its body—in the thick, long tail and the long hindquarters. The animal can sit on its tail as if it were a chair or use it to maintain balance during long bounds. The kangaroo's hind feet, which are like springboards when it jumps, can be as long as ten inches from heel to toe.

Another interesting aspect of the kangaroo is the strength in its front feet. If those front feet were to be dressed in boxing gloves, the kangaroo could probably win a boxing match. It is known that the kangaroo can deliver strong punches; it can also hop around and completely exhaust an opponent. But despite advantages in speed and endurance, the kangaroo will not hurt other animals and will eat only vegetables. And although the kangaroo can leap over five-foot fences as if they were nothing, this surprising animal really can't walk.

99 最厉害的跳跃者

世界上最厉害的跳跃者都来自澳大利亚。大多数奥运运动员需要训练多年才能完成20英尺的跳远，但袋鼠——地球上最厉害的跳跃者——可以以20英尺的步幅跳跃，速度几乎和高速公路上的汽车一样快！

袋鼠的体型让它能以这样的高速不间断地行进极远的距离。它的小头和短前足减少了风的阻力，让它看起来呈流线型。袋鼠的全部重量都集中在身体后部——粗壮的长尾和长长的后臀部位。它可以像坐椅子一样坐在尾巴上，或者用尾巴在长距离跳跃时保持平衡。袋鼠的后足在跳跃时就像跳板，从脚跟到脚趾长达10英寸。

袋鼠另一个有趣的特点是前足的力量。如果给它的前足戴上拳击手套，它可能会赢得拳击比赛。众所周知，袋鼠能打出有力的拳，还能跳来跳去，让对手彻底筋疲力尽。但尽管在速度和耐力上有优势，袋鼠不会伤害其他动物，而且只吃蔬菜。另外，虽然袋鼠能轻松跳过5英尺高的围栏，但这种令人惊讶的动物其实不会走路。