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Famously a national symbol of and native only to Australia, kangaroos are some of the best
known marsupials in the world.
Although marsupials are mammals, they have some special characteristics that set them
apart from other mammals.
As mammals, kangaroos have fur, breathe air, are warm-blooded, and feed their babies milk.
Marsupials, on the other hand, are best known for the pouches in which they carry their
babies while they are small.
There are four different species of kangaroos, and all of them can only be found in Australia.
The largest species of kangaroo, the red kangaroo, is also the largest living marsupial anywhere
in the world.
They can weigh up to 200 lbs or 90 kilograms and reach heights of about 6 feet or 1.8 meters
tall.
Kangaroos are famous for hopping.
They are the only large animal on earth that hops to get around.
They have long powerful legs that allow them to jump distances of up to 30 feet or 9 meters,
and reach speeds of up to 30 miles or 50 kilometers per hour.
Kangaroos use their tails for balance when they hop.
When moving slowly, they actually use their tail like an extra foot to help push them
along, in a tactic called pentapedal locomotion.
Kangaroos are also good swimmers.
They often swim in rivers and lakes to escape from predators or to get to other parts of
their territory.
Kangaroos are herbivores and eat a variety of plants, including grasses, flowers, fruits,
and leaves.
Like other grazing animals, they commonly live in groups, called troops or mobs, with
at least 10 members.
Large mobs may have more than 100 members.
Male kangaroos are called boomers, bucks, or jacks.
Females are flyers, does or jills.
Young kangaroos are called joeys.
Because kangaroos are marsupials, the females have a special pouch on their stomach for
carrying their babies.
Newborn kangaroos are only about the size of a grape - about one inch or 2.5 centimeters
long.
Although they are born blind, when they are born little joeys travel to their mother's
pouch without any help.
They will stay there for about four months, before they start making small trips outside.
At about eight months old, a joey will leave the pouch for the last time, but it may continue
to drink its mothers milk until it is 12 to 18 months old.
Kangaroos are an important part of the Australian ecosystem.
They help maintain the lifecycle of native plants and can reduce the severity of wildfires
by keeping vegetation from building up.
They have few natural predators - mainly dingoes and wedge-tailed eagles - but they are also
hunted by humans.
Kangaroos are an abundant source of meat, fur, and leather, and hunting helps control
their populations.
When too many kangaroos live in an area they can damage grazing lands or cause car accidents.
Hunting kangaroos is only allowed under certain circumstances, as otherwise they are protected
species.
As well as their importance to the ecosystem, kangaroos are very important to the Australian
economy.
One of their main benefits is in tourism.
Many people who visit Australia hope to see kangaroos during their trip.
The kangaroo is featured on the Australian coat of arms, on their coins, and is a popular
mascot for sports teams or characters for television.
Fortunately, kangaroos are widespread and abundant, and are not considered endangered,
which means that they will probably continue to hop through the grasslands of Australia
for a long, long time to come.
I hope you enjoyed learning about kangaroos today.
Goodbye till next time!