Interesting Facts

• Red Kangaroos are the largest mammal living in Australia. They are also the largest species of marsupials. Marsupials are mammals whose young develop outside of the womb.
• They are macropods. This means “big foot”. Kangaroos can leap a distance of up to 26 feet and as high as 10 feet.
• Kangaroos have a rather short gestation period of 33 days. After the joey, which is the size of a jelly bean, is born, it climbs up the mother’s belly and into her pouch. It stays there, feeding from a nipple inside, for 190 days.
• Groups of kangaroos, called a mob, are led by a male. Males are called “boomers”. The rest of the group members are females, known as “does” or “flyers”, and their young which are called “joeys”.

Conservation Status

Threats

Red Kangaroos have a large and stable population. They have few major threats.