Kangaroos are the largest living marsupials from the family Macropodidae. There are four species commonly referred to as the kangaroo: the red kangaroo, the eastern grey kangaroo, the western grey kangaroo, and the antilopine kangaroo.
Fast Facts about Kangaroo
1. The word kangaroo stems from an Aboriginal language (Guugu Yimidhirr). The Aboriginal word gangurru described the Grey Kangaroo.
2. Red Kangaroos are the largest marsupial and can grow up to 2 metres. They can reach a top speed of over 65km/h – out-pacing a top racehorse. In one leap they can jump 3m high and 7.6m long.
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3. Kangaroos can hop around quickly on two legs or walk around slowly on all four. Kangaroos can’t walk backwards. They have very powerful legs and can be dangerous at times.
4. A male kangaroo is called a boomer. A female kangaroo is called a flyer. A baby kangaroo is called a joey
5. Kangaroos are grazing herbivores, which means their diet consists mainly of grasses.
6. A group of kangaroos is generally known as a mob, although you occasionally hear them called a troop or a court.
7. A newborn kangaroo is only about 2.5 cm (an inch) long when it is born, making it the size of a bean or grape. and crawls at once into its mother’s pouch. A newborn joey can’t suckle or swallow, so the kangaroo mum must use her muscles to help pump milk down its throat.
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8. Female kangaroos can determine the sex of their offspring. They can even delay gestation when environmental factors are likely to diminish the chance of young surviving.
9. Most people think kangaroos are endemic to (live only in) Australia. In fact, several species of tree kangaroos and forest wallabies also live in Papua New Guinea.
10. The lifespan of kangaroos averages at six years in the wild.
