Introduction
The kangaroo is possibly the best known of the marsupials, or animals that carry their young
in a pouch. The word kangaroo refers generally to more than 50 species of marsupials
ranging from the rabbit-sized rat kangaroo to the tree kangaroo and the larger gray and red
kangaroos. The animal is also known for its long leaps.
Where kangaroos live
Kangaroos are native to Australia, New Guinea, and the nearby islands. Gray kangaroos live
in eastern and southwestern Australia and Tasmania, and red kangaroos find their home in the
interior grasslands of Australia. The tree kangaroo, which lives in trees by day but comes
down at night to feed, is found in New Guinea.
Physical features
A kangaroo's body is well adapted for jumping. The animal has two strong hind legs, and
each of these powerful limbs has four toes. One toe, the largest, bears most of the weight of
the body. The forelimbs are short and end in clawed, five-toed paws. The kangaroo uses these
forelimbs almost as humans use their arms. The animal uses its tail, which is long and thick at
the base, to balance itself while jumping.
The kangaroo has a relatively small head and two large ears. Its small mouth has large lips
and sharp front teeth. A striking feature of this animal is the fur-lined pouch on the belly of
female kangaroos.
The most common and one of the largest species of this marsupial, the male gray kangaroo,
measures an average of 10 feet (3 meters) from nose to tail tip and weighs about 145 pounds
(66 kilograms). The red kangaroo can be even larger than the gray one. In these larger
species, the male is generally bigger than the female.
The fur of the gray kangaroo is soft, woolly, and, in some cases, grizzled. Stripes may be
present on the head, back, or upper limbs. The male red kangaroo is brick red; the female has
a blue-gray hue.
Tree kangaroos have shorter forelimbs and longer hind limbs than other kangaroos, and they
have sharp nails that help in gripping. They are 37 to 69 inches (95 to 177 centimeters) long.
The smaller species of kangaroos are popularly known as wallabies. Hare wallabies, rock
wallabies, and rat kangaroos are as small as 9 inches (23 centimeters).
Behavior
Large kangaroos usually form groups—called troops, herds, or mobs—that move from place
to place to feed. In general, kangaroos are herbivorous, or vegetarian; their diet includes
grass, shrubs, leaves of small trees, and grains. Tree kangaroos also eat berries and insects.
Like cattle and sheep, kangaroos have a chambered stomach. They spit out the vegetation
they have eaten, chew it as cud, and then swallow it again for final digestion.
Kangaroos sense danger through smell, sight, and sound. Their enemies include humans, wild
dogs, pythons, and large birds of prey. When cornered, the generally timid kangaroo can fight
back, stamping its hind legs and growling. It is capable of killing a dog with a single stroke of
its hind limb. If chased, this animal may escape by jumping into a stream or a lake.
Some kangaroos have giant leaps. A gray kangaroo, for example, has been known to go 30
feet (9 meters) in a single jump. It can reach a speed of 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour.
Life cycle
Kangaroos normally give birth to one young kangaroo, or joey, per year. A joey is born
naked (hairless) at just 1 inch (2.6 centimeters) long. With the help of its claws, it climbs into
its mother's pouch and attaches itself to one of the four teats, or nipples. It remains there,
feeding on its mother's milk, for the next four months. At the end of this period, it is able to
poke out of the pouch and feed on grass. Gradually, it learns to hop out and look for food.
When it is 7 to 10 months old, the joey is ready to leave the pouch.
