INTRODUCTION
Kangaroos are native to the Australian continent and to parts of Papua New Guinea. Most species are only found in Australia.
There are over 60 different species of kangaroo and their close relatives. While it is impossible to determine the exact number of kangaroos in Australia, the population of the four most common species is thought to be more than 50 million. All kangaroos belong to the super-family Macropodidae (or macropods, meaning 'great-footed').  The macropod family includes kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, pademelons, tree-kangaroos and forest wallabies. These species are also found in Papua  New Guinea.
 
Species in the macropod family vary greatly in size and weight, ranging from 0.5 kilograms (1.1 pounds) to 90 kilograms (200 pounds). The Potoroinae (potoroid) family of kangaroos includes the potoroo, bettong and rat-kangaroo. This family of kangaroos lives only in Australia.

Kangaroos of different types live in all of the diverse areas of Australia, from cold-climate rainforests and desert plains to tropical areas.

FEEDING

Kangaroos are herbivorous, eating a range of plants, and in some cases fungi. Most are nocturnal but some are active in the early morning and late afternoon. Different kangaroo species live in a range of different environments. Potoroids, for example, make nests while tree-kangaroos live above
ground in trees. Larger species of kangaroo tend to shelter under trees or in caves and rock clefts. n weigh more than 80 kilograms (175 lbs.).

TYPES OF KANGAROO

The best known of the Australian kangaroos is the red (or plains) kangaroo. Big Red, or Old Man Red, is depicted on the Australian coat of arms. He is the biggest of the kangaroos. The male has bright wine-red coloring and the female is smoky-blue. The females, or Blue Fliers, can travel up to 48 kilometres an hour (30 miles per hour), or move at almost the same speed as a racing greyhound. The red kangaroos are widely distributed over the plains of Australia, but they are not usually found where the rainfall exceeds 63 centimetres (25 inches a year).
DESCRIPTION AND FEEDING
The kangaroo has stunted forelimbs but elongated hind legs, which give it great strength and speed in leaping along. Its big tail is used for balance or for pushing its body along slowly while grazing. It is believed that the red kangaroo can exist without free water by extracting moisture from the grass it eats. Reds feed mainly at dusk and do not seem to have any definite group structure. They can be found in groups of from 2 to over 100. The grey kangaroo, however, usually moves in groups of up to 20. The greys are probably the most familiar of the kangaroos as they inhabit areas closer to civilization than the others do.
BREEDING

 The birth cycle of the Macropodidae is one of the most fascinating features of these unique animals. The young are born in an extremely immature state after a gestation period of between 30 and 40 days. The tiny, blind, hairless animal, weighing as little as a quarter of an ounce, makes its way by instinct
to the marsupium (or pouch) of its mother, where it attaches itself to the mother's teat. After about six or seven months, the rapidly growing young kangaroo, or joey as it is familiarly called, leaves the pouch for short
periods, returning to suckle or rest.

Click here to return to Australian Animal's Page
Click here to return to Rochedale State School's Home Page 
These pages are maintained and created by Glenda Crew.
Images displayed are taken from children's projects and other sources and are used for educational purposes only. No infringement of copyright is intended.