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Peter_deT t1_jduykza wrote

Reply to comment by senorali in Why are nonhuman erect bipedal animals so rare? by violetmammal4694

There are other factors involved. The dinosauria had very efficient lungs and light bones, and seems to have dominated over most types of terrain. Kangaroos have evolved connective tissues between the diaphragm and the legs, so use their leaps to power their breathing, and are very efficient over long distances. They do fine against wild dogs (dingos).

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senorali t1_jdv0ctn wrote

Oh, definitely. All the extant bipedal animals are pretty decent at what they do in various ways (the ostrich uses its wings as rudders to steer at high speeds, which is neat). It just seems that large cats are their greatest enemy, and probably a much bigger obstacle to their success than other carnivorans like dogs and bears. Big cats have successfully hunted both apes and flightless birds for millions of years, and would probably give kangaroos a lot of trouble as ambush predators if they ever found their way to Australia.

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