![]() ![]() Red kangaroos prefer living in open, grassy plains, although they may also be found in scrubland and desert habitat the slightly smaller gray kangaroos, which need more drinking water than reds, usually inhabit woodlands, though they graze in grassy meadows at night. Red kangaroos can, in an emergency, leap across the outback in 10-foot-high (3 meters) and 39-foot-long (12 meters) bounds. Male red kangaroos can be over 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and weigh up to 200 pounds (90 kilograms)! Females, sometimes called blue flyers, are bluish gray and are smaller and faster than the males, reaching speeds of up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour. Maroon with a white face and belly, males are often referred to as red flyers. The largest is the red kangaroo, which is found most often on the open plains of inland Australia and can live on very little water. The best-known macropods are the three widespread and common, large kangaroos. Dingos are a red kangaroo’s only predator. The kangaroo’s hands may be used to fight this is called boxing. A mother may make a clicking or clucking sound to call her young. When a kangaroo senses danger, it alerts its fellows by thumping its feet loudly on the ground! It can also communicate by grunting, coughing, or hissing. Wallabies, while smaller in stature, are built and hop in a similar manner. The combination of these muscles and tendons working together helps kangaroos move efficiently. In addition to powerful leg muscles, kangaroos have a huge set of tendons in their tail that attach to the hipbones. In fact, kangaroos actually burn less energy the faster they hop, at least up to their cruising speed of 20 miles (32 kilometers) per hour. Like a perpetual-motion machine, hopping kangaroos are able to keep moving without expending much energy. The larger kangaroos can cover over 23 feet (7 meters) per hop when cruising at top speed and have been clocked at more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour in short bursts! This means that it hops, both feet pushing off the ground at the same time. The kangaroo's muscular design lets it move in a way called saltation that is unique to macropods. Their tail is long, muscular, and thick at the base, helping the kangaroo or wallaby balance and turn during hopping and providing support when it rests. In most species, the hind legs and feet are much larger and more powerful than the forelimbs. The main difference between a kangaroo and all the others is size: the six largest macropods are referred to as kangaroos. Confused about the difference between kangaroos, wallaroos, and wallabies? That's understandable! There are more than 50 species of these marsupials, and they vary in size from critters you could hold in your hands to the giant red kangaroo that stands as tall as an adult person. Kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, quokkas, pademelons, potoroos, honey possums, and tree kangaroos are all macropods. The kangaroo's family name, Macropodidae, means "big feet," a great description for kangaroos and their relatives. ![]() Rey's Katy No-Pocket from the story of the same name? Either way, kangaroos are perhaps Australia's best-known wildlife and are found in stories, movies, and even as sports team mascots the world over! Western gray kangaroo A well-known mammal: The word kangaroo often brings to mind a picture of a big, bounding critter with long ears and a baby, or joey, peeking out of its mother's pouch.
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