All about the Kangaroos of Australia By: Miss Mimi Nguyen(:

What are kangaroos? Kangaroos are marsupials(which means that the females carry their young in pouches.) from the family of the macropodidae. (meaning that the animals has large feet.)

How large can kangaroos get? Kangaroos usually range from being 5-almost 7 feet tall and weighing around pounds. It depends on their species. Females are usually smaller in size than the males.

What do kangaroos eat? What kangaroos eat depends on the species of the kangaroo. Kangaroos are herbivores so they mostly eat shrubs, grasses, roots, fungi(yuck!), shoots, and tender leaves. They are like cattle where they regurgitate their food and chew their cud! They can go up to four months without drinking water!

What do kangaroos look like? Kangaroos have large ears on the top of their head and a large snout. They have short arms and large legs and feet with 4 toes. Their legs are very powerful for running and jumping. They have a large, long muscular tail used to keep them in balance.

Predators of the kangaroos Predators of kangaroos are dingoes, Tasmanian tigers/wolves, and humans. Dingoes are wild dogs that are also found in Asia. Tasmanian tigers/wolves are actually extinct but has been a major predator before that time. Humans are big predators because some people hunt kangaroos for human consumption.

Where do kangaroos live?

How did the kangaroo get its name? When European explorers first saw hopping kangaroos for the first time in Australia, they asked a native aborigine what they were called. The aborigine replied, “kangaroo”(meaning I don’t understand a word that you’re saying.) which to the explorer, answered the question. From then on, they were called kangaroos.