Kangaroo

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Kangaroos
Female Eastern Grey Kangaroo with joey
Female Eastern Grey Kangaroo with joey
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Suborder: Macropodiformes
Family: Macropodidae
Genus: Macropus
in part
Species
Macropus rufus
Macropus giganteus
Macropus fuliginosus
Macropus antilopinus

A Kangaroo is an animal. It is a kind of mammal. It is common in Australia and can also be found on nearby islands. Kangaroos hop to move around. They cannot walk backwards but they can hop or jump as far as about three times their own height.

Kangaroos are marsupials because they carry their young in special pouch on their bodies. Baby kangaroos are called joeys.

Because it is mostly found in Australia, Australians see it as a national symbol.


[edit] Kinds of Kangaroos

There are 4 types of kangaroos:

  • The Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) is the biggest marsupial in the world. They live in the hot desert.
  • The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is not as well known, but people see it more often. They live in cooler forests.
  • The Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) is one of the smaller kangaroos.
  • The Antilopine Kangaroo (Macropus antilopinus) is the smallest kangaroo. They like to live in groups.


A kangaroo hopping
A kangaroo hopping