Kangaroo holds the honor of being the national animal of Australia not because it abounds the land but it symbolizes progress. Kangaroos never move backward; they are always moving forward. They are the largest marsupial mammals. Australians have popular names for whole of Kangaroo clan. While the male adult kangaroo is called a "Buck" or the "Old Man, " female kangaroo is a "Doe" or a "Flyer" and the baby kangaroo is called a "Joey." Fortunately, kangaroos don't fall under the category of endangered species unlike many other Australian animals.
Kangaroo is a native of Australia found in mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. They are social animals that move about in small groups called "mobs." Their large ears that can swivel in all directions enable excellent hearing. |
| Kangaroos hop on hind legs and the long tail serves as steering as well as a balancing part. Kangaroos can only move both the back legs together and not just one. Their long jumps help them hop at a high speed of 40mph. The Joey stays in its mother's pouch till about six months of age and suckles till about 12-17 months of age. Kangaroos mainly eat grass, young shoots and leaves of heath plants and grass trees. They require only a very little amount of water to survive even in the most arid regions. Kangaroos can stay without water for several months at a stretch.
You can get to see three major species of kangaroos in Australia The first one is Red Kangaroo. They are the largest marsupials in the world. They exist in the arid and semi-arid regions of inland Australia along with some open shrub lands, grasslands, malee scrub and Mulga country. However, they are found very sparsely or not at all in the wetter regions of eastern, northern and southwestern Australia.
Next is the western gray kangaroo variety that flocks the Western and Southern Australian regions including Victoria and New South Wales where the climatic conditions are harshly dry. They can also be spotted in woodlands, open forests, coastal heath land, open grassland, scrubland and can be found on city outskirts and golf courses. Then there are Eastern Gray Kangaroos. They are the heaviest marsupials in the world. They dwell in the damp and dense forests and shrubs of Eastern Australian coastline and probably this is why the Australians refer to it as "forester". They thrive in high mountain forests, semi-arid rangelands and are the only kangaroos that can be found in Tasmania. |
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Besides these three varieties, Australia also has three other varieties of kangaroos. The antilopine kangaroos can be found in the Monsoon regions of Northern Australia in the grassy Eucalyptus woodlands. The Euro group is the most widespread variety of kangaroos and can be found in all parts of the country. Black Wallaroo is found in the central and western part of Northern Territory where there are lots of woodlands, shrub cover and monsoon forests for safe refuge.
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