19 Kangaroo Facts: That Will Make You Jump for Joy

Kangaroos are actually marsupials, meaning they give birth to underdeveloped young that continue to develop outside of the womb in a pouch.

You may think about the four common species when you hear about kangaroos. However, the animals of the marsupial genus include 14 species other than those four common species of kangaroos.

These animals are native to Australia and are famous for their unique way of getting around. 

So, in this article, we will now discuss some amazing facts about this unique marsupial called kangaroo.

Amazing Kangaroo Facts

👉 Kangaroos can defend themselves with their arms and kicks

Kangaroos Defend Themselves

Though we know that kangaroos’ kicks are really powerful, they should also be aware of their strong and agile arms.

The defensive behavior of this animal includes holding its enemy in place with its claws before disemboweling or slashing.

Once, a wildlife worker got attacked by a kangaroo and sustained broken ribs, internal injuries, and a collapsed lung.

Also, these animals need to hop, as they can’t move their legs independently.

👉 Inside a pouch, newborn joeys depend on their mothers for milk

Mother Kangaroos use their muscles to pump milk down the newborn joeys’ throats. They must do this because the babies cannot suckle and swallow alone.

Moreover, the milk of the mother kangaroo changes its formulation to meet the nutrition requirements of the growing joeys inside the pouch.

👉 The term Kangaroo may be applied to multiple species with the genus Macropus

The Term Kangaroo Is Applied To Multiple Species

Kangaroo canters on the genus Marsupial Macropus. Contrary to many people’s belief, Kangaroos are of the family Macropodinae, which includes different types of kangaroos, such as the Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos, Red Kangaroo, Agile Wallaby, Antilopine Kangaroo, Black Wallaroo, Common Wallaroo, Parma Wallaby, and many more.

Though the Parma Wallaby was considered extinct before the end of the 19th century; however, a project in New Zealand led to the discovery of a population of the small marsupials.

👉 Kangaroos can use their tail for balance while dealing with attackers

As they cannot walk, kangaroos know how to use their tails fully. The tails of these animals work as an extra leg because of their similar force or power from their two hind legs.

So, against predators, these animals often use their tails to balance their bodies, and hence, they can give a powerful kick.

However, the composition and strength of their tail contribute to their inability to walk backward. They can even prop themselves up with the help of their tails. 

👉 Kangaroos grow almost 2 meters tall

Kangaroos Grow 2 Meters Tall

A red kangaroo may grow up taller than many humans on Earth. These animal species are considered the largest living marsupial in the world.

Red Kangaroos have powerful hind legs that can accelerate their hopping speed to almost 35 mph.

Moreover, you will also be amazed at the strength of their bounding gait, which enables them to leap about 6ft high.

If you wish to differentiate between males and females, look closely at their fur coats and build. The females have blue-grey costs and fast leaping, and the males have muscular limbs.

👉 They live in groups and are known as mobs

In most cases, kangaroos live in large groups. To describe these large groups, you may call them a court, a troop, or a mob.

Commonly, Australians address a group of Kangaroos as mobs. In this group, all kangaroos follow a specific type of hierarchy where the mal ones fight for dominance. Also, the male kangaroos flex their biceps to impress the female ones.

Also, in Australia, kangaroos can outnumber the people in this country. In 2015, Australia had a population of 24 million, whereas 44 million were kangaroos.

👉 Kangaroos don’t develop sweat glands

Kangaroos Don’t Develop Sweat Glands

It is really hard to imagine this, as these animals are native to Australia; still, kangaroos don’t have sweat glands.

Thus, these animals use their saliva to cool off and lick their forearms until their fur coats get soaked.

If the sun’s heat is too intense, these animals love to relax and allow the unique network of blood vessels in their forearms to cool them down.

👉 Kangaroos usually do not emit much methane, despite being herbivores

Kangaroos are herbivores, meaning they feed on grasses and other vegetation. Scientists have found the presence of a certain kind of bacteria inside kangaroos.

It can metabolize the vegetation that a kangaroo eats without producing a lot of methane. Most other herbivores, like cows, release almost 250 to 500 liters of methane daily.

Due to the unique bacteria of the kangaroos’ stomachs, they do not contribute to the methane emissions like some other herbivores.

👉 The gestation period of a kangaroo lasts for 4 to 5 weeks

Kangaroo's Gestation Period

Kangaroos have an unusual gestation period. After 30 to 36 days, inside the kangaroo’s pouch, a joey is fully formed with embryo-like features.

Due to this short gestation period, mother kangaroos can get pregnant frequently and carry more than one baby within the pouches.

Some can even hold off their pregnancy by freezing the new embryo until the recent joey is developed enough and ready to leave the pouch.

👉 Many kangaroos can show left-handedness

Kangaroos can show the behavior of using a dominant limb, just like humans. A study by Russian scientists from St Petersburg State University discussed the evidence of kangaroos using their left hand while performing common tasks in the wild.

Due to this, multiple experts believe that Australian marsupials are actually left-handed. This research showed a new display of population-level ‘handedness’ behavior other than humans.

👉 Joeys can peek out from the pouch after 4 to 6 months

After being born, these joeys stay inside their mother’s pouches for several months. After that, they leave the pouches now and then for some grown-up food, such as small shrubs or grass, after almost 4 to 6 months.

During this time period, they continue to feed on their mother’s milk for extra nutrition. However, they leave the pouch completely after around 10 to 18 months.

👉 The antilopine kangaroo in the tropical savannah

The specific kind of kangaroo called the antilopine kangaroo shows sexual dimorphism. The male ones have a reddish-tan coat, while their female counterparts showcase grey tones on their shoulders and heads.

Sometimes known as antilopine wallaroos, these animals usually occupy the tropical savannas of the Cape York Peninsula, where mobs graze vegetation and socialize.

One of their habits involves the grooming between males before indulging in ritual combats. The result of these fights will determine the next alpha.

👉 A troop of antilopine kangaroos likes to socialize

Antilopine Kangaroo's Troop

Usually, antilopine kangaroos prefer to socialize. Mainly their troops have more than 30 marsupials.

While facing threats, mobs may separate or assemble depending on the predator. Because of the tropical weather of their habitat, antilopine kangaroos try to adjust their foraging or grazing periods when the environment is dryer.

👉 Doodlebug was found hugging a teddy bear

An orphaned kangaroo joey named Doodlebug was abandoned until he was seen after he walked up to strangers and even extended his arms, seemingly wanting to get picked up.

A picture of him hugging a teddy bear went viral after some time. 

👉 The female kangaroos are always pregnant

The Female Kangaroos Are Always Pregnant

Female kangaroos are almost always pregnant. However, they can pause their pregnancies during famine or drought, known as diapause.

Also, female kangaroos have three vaginas. The two vaginas of the outside part are for sperm are even led to two uteruses.

However, the middle one is to give birth. In contrast, male kangaroos have a two-pronged penis located below the testicles. Thus, you can say that kangaroos’ genitals are really weird. 

👉 Kangaroos can produce two types of milk

Kangaroos can produce two different types of milk at the same time. One is for the young Joey, and the other is for the newborn.

Also, the fetuses of kangaroos can crawl up from their mothers’ wombs up the front of the stomachs and then enter into the pouch, where they can grow into baby kangaroos.

👉 Some kangaroos may sacrifice their joeys

Some Kangaroos Sacrifices Their Joeys

This fact might sound like really heartbreaking information about kangaroos. Though kangaroos frequently prove their strength as good fighters against their predators, they still face some formidable foes in the wild from whom they can’t escape.

Some female kangaroos can even throw their young to distract their attackers when that occurs.

This willing sacrifice may seem like a very cold attitude, but their survival instincts usually outweigh any affection for the babies in their pouches.

👉 The larger marsupial usually wins in a battle

The wallaby usually falls under the genus Macropus. Due to this, a wallaby can also be considered a kangaroo.

The difference among the sizes of various kangaroo species will determine which one will win in a battle.

Also, kangaroos usually know how to use a chokehold when fighting with other kangaroos. In addition, in Australia, more people are killed by main kangaroos than sharks.

👉 Kangaroos in Australia

Kangaroos In Australia

In Australia, kangaroo meat can be purchased from the supermarket. This meat is available on various restaurant menus as a healthier and leaner alternative to lamb or beef with just 1-2 percent fat content. Also, the odds of hitting a kangaroo with a vehicle in this country are very high.

Thus, kangaroos are fascinating animals that play a vital role in the ecosystems and culture of Australia.

They are well-adapted to their unique arid environment, which has captured the attention of many scientists.

At the end of this article, we learned about 19 really amazing facts about this interesting animal in Australia called the kangaroo.

These facts clearly show us these interesting marsupials in our ecosystem. If you want to collect some more information, you may visit our website.

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