We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and to show you personalised advertising. To find out more, read our privacy policy and cookie policy

Skip to Content
University of Wollongong Australia. Logo. University of Wollongong Australia. Logo. University of Wollongong Australia. Logo.
  • Search
  • Give
  • Library
  • Current Students
  • Staff
  • UOW Global
    • Our global presence
    • UOW in Dubai
    • UOW in Hong Kong
    • UOW in Malaysia
  • Menu
  • Study at UOW

    • Courses
    • Apply
    • Scholarships & grants
    • Accommodation
    • High-school students
    • Non-school leavers
    • Postgraduate students
    • International students
    • Moving to Wollongong
    • Study abroad & exchange
    • Global sport programs
    • Campuses
    Study at UOW
  • Engage

    • Future student
    • Alumni
    • Visit UOW
    • Woolyungah Indigenous Centre
    • Volunteer
    • The Stand Magazine
    • Community Members
    • Grants and funding
    • Give to UOW
    • Visit the Library
    • Key contacts
    • Educators & school teachers
    Engage with us
  • About UOW

    • Welcome
    • Our people
    • Services
    • Contacts
    • What's on
    • Global presence
    • Media Centre
    • Faculties & schools
    • Our vision & strategy
    • Our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Strategy
    • Our reputation & experience
    • Locations, campuses & partners
    See more about UOW
  • Research

    • Our research
    • Researcher support
    • Research impact
    • Partnership & collaboration
    • Graduate Research School
    • Commercial research
    • Global Challenges
    • Media, news & events
    • Find an expert
    • Our people
    See more about research
  • Industry

    • Generator Lab
    • Advantage SME
    • Success stories
    • Industry research engagement
    • Equipment & Labs
    • Funding opportunities
    • Intellectual property
    • Collaboration for business
    • Collaboration for researchers
    See more about Industry
  • Alumni

    • Benefits
    • Outlook Magazine
    • Events & webinars
    • Volunteer
    • Awards
    • Honorary alumni
    • Testamurs & transcripts
    • Update your details
    • Your career journey
    • Contact us & FAQ
    See more about alumni
  • Quick links

    • Contact directory
    • Staff Intranet
    • Campus maps
    • Transport & parking
    • Key dates
    • Events
    • Password management
    • Jobs
    • Accommodation
    • Policy directory
  • Library
You are here More Pages
  • Home
  • About UOW
  • Media Centre
  • 2015
  • Why kangaroos really emit such little methane

Media Quick Links

  • Contact UOW Media
  • Visiting campus
  • Image library
  • UOW key facts
  • Find an expert
  • News Corp subscription
  • Sign up for the latest news from UOW Media

November 5, 2015


  • Story By
  • Bernie Goldie
Share
Type
Media Release
Category
Environment and Energy
Tags
Climate change

UOW in the News

Why kangaroos really emit such little methane

Researchers investigate methane emissions from Australia’s largest marsupials.


An Australian/Swiss team of scientists has presented the most robust research to date investigating methane emissions from Australia’s largest marsupials, the kangaroos. And their findings have turned previous research on its head.

There has long been debate about just how much methane kangaroos produce -- and now we know due to work led by Dr Adam Munn from the University of Wollongong’s Institute for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions and Professor Marcus Clauss from the University of Zurich’s Clinic of Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife. The research was conducted by PhD student and veterinarian Catharina Vendl at the Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, University of New South Wales.

Their findings have just been published online in the influential scientific publication, The Journal of Experimental Biology.

“We knew that the kangaroos would produce little methane, but certainly not zero, and the question remained as to why,” Dr Munn said. Methane release into the atmosphere plays a significant role in the production of greenhouse gas emissions which is a critical factor leading to global warming.

“The main hypotheses behind kangaroos producing little methane have focussed on kangaroos having a unique microbiome that produces less methane, mainly from flatulence rather than burping like cows and sheep. But, without wanting to burst the bubble of the microbiologists, our findings suggest otherwise.”

The team measured an absolute methane output in kangaroos comparable to that of horses, when corrected for body weight.

“Kangaroos have a very different stomach from that of ruminants such as sheep and cows,” Professor Clauss said.

“We think that the methane is low because of the way food moves through the kangaroo stomach, and not because of a unique gut fauna.”

This conclusion is based on the finding that the amount of methane produced per ingested food varies even within kangaroos, depending on how much they eat. When fed restrictively, methane per unit food was nearly as high in some kangaroos as values in domestic ruminants.

Dr Munn and Professor Clauss are critical of efforts to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ruminant livestock by replacing their gut fauna with that from kangaroos or other low-methane emitting animals, which they believe is unlikely to succeed.

The latest findings add to the team’s research into wildlife methane emissions that aims to understand rules of methane production in a comparative approach by testing many different species. So far, the team has measured methane from camels and llamas, rodents and rabbits, horses, ostriches, rheas and emus, sloths and kangaroos.

But Dr Munn said there was much to be done to really understand why many of these animals emit less methane than ruminants.

Photo: Simone Cingano | Flickr. 

Media Contacts for this article

UOW Media Office

You may also be interested in

UOW to develop new compliance assessment methods for renewable energy
Top 10 tips to keep cool this summer while protecting your health and your budget
Sea urchins have invaded Tasmania and Victoria, but we can’t work out what to do with them
Services & Help
  • Current students
  • Library
  • Information technology
  • Accommodation
  • Security & safety
  • Pool, gym & retail
News, Media & Events
  • Media Centre
  • The Stand
  • Alumni Magazine
  • Research news
  • Events
  • Find an expert
Faculties
  • Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities
  • Business & Law
  • Engineering & Information Sciences
  • Science, Medicine & Health
Administration
  • Graduation
  • Environment
  • Policy directory
  • Learning and teaching
  • Financial Services
  • Access to information
  • Jobs
UOW Entities
  • Innovation Campus
  • UOW College Australia
  • UOW College Hong Kong
  • UOW in Dubai
  • UOW Global Enterprises
  • UOW Malaysia KDU
  • UOW Pulse
Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Conversation
  • Contact us
  • Feedback
  • Give to UOW

Northfields Ave Wollongong,  NSW 2522  Australia 
Phone: 1300 367 869 
International: +61 2 4221 3218 
Switchboard: +61 2 4221 3555

  • NUW Alliance: Smarter Solutions for NSW
  • University Global Partnership Network (UGPN)
  • Reconciliation Australia
  • AWEI LGBTQ inclusion awards logo

Aboriginal flag Torres Strait Islander flag

On the lands that we study, we walk, and we live, we acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians and cultural knowledge holders of these lands.

Copyright © 2023 University of Wollongong
CRICOS Provider No: 00102E | TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12062 | ABN: 61 060 567 686
Copyright & disclaimer | Privacy & cookie usage | Web Accessibility Statement

Close