{"id":881,"date":"2016-11-25T11:50:53","date_gmt":"2016-11-25T11:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/natgeokids.com?p=881"},"modified":"2022-05-30T21:52:37","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T21:52:37","slug":"kangaroo-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/au\/discover\/animals\/general-animals\/kangaroo-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Kangaroo Facts!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Next stop, Down Under! Join us as we learn all about one of Australia’s most amazing animals with our cool kangaroo facts<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

\"kangaroo<\/a><\/p>\n

Fast kangaroo facts<\/span><\/h1>\n

Scientific name<\/strong>: Macropus
\nFamily<\/strong>: Macropodidae
\nClassification<\/strong>: Mammal
\nIUCN status<\/strong>: Least concern
\nLifespan (in wild)<\/strong>: Up to 23 years
\nWeight<\/strong>: Around 90kg
\nBody size<\/strong>: Over 2m in height
\nTop speed<\/strong>: 56km\/h
\nDiet<\/strong>: Herbivore – mainly grasses
\nHabitat<\/strong>: Australian deserts and grasslands<\/p>\n

Kangaroos belong to the animal family\u00a0<\/span>Macropodidae<\/strong>, which literally means ‘<\/span>big foot<\/strong>.’ Thanks to their large feet and powerful hind legs, kangaroos can travel more than 56km\/h and leap\u00a0<\/span>more than 9m in a single bound<\/strong>\u00a0– that\u2019s more than six ten-year-olds lying head to toe! They have small front legs and a long, strong tail which helps them balance while jumping. The tallest of all our planet\u2019s marsupials, these amazing animals can stand\u00a0<\/span>over two meters tall<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kangaroo<\/a><\/p>\n

Kangaroos are found in Eastern Australia<\/a><\/strong>, where they live in small groups called troops <\/strong>or herds<\/strong> (or ‘mobs’ by Australians), typically made up of 50 or more animals. If threatened, kangaroos pound the ground with their strong feet to alert and warn the others in the group. And these cool creatures aren’t to be messed with – when they fight, they punch and kick with powerful blows, and will sometimes even bite. Males will often fight each other over access to females.<\/p>\n

\"kangaroo<\/a><\/p>\n

Female kangaroos sport a pouch<\/strong> on their belly (made by a fold in the skin) to cradle baby kangaroos, called joeys<\/strong>. Newborn joeys are tiny, measuring just 2.5 centimetres, or about the size of a grape – cute! After birth, joeys travel unassisted through their mother\u2019s thick fur to the comfort and safety of the pouch. A newborn can\u2019t suckle or swallow, so the kangaroo mum uses her muscles to pump milk down its throat.\u00a0At around 4 months, the youngster emerges from the pouch for short trips, and at ten months, it’s mature enough to leave the pouch for good.<\/p>\n

Kangaroos are herbivores<\/strong> and like to chew on grasses, herbs and shrubs. Besides humans and wild dogs called dingoes, kangaroos face few natural predators<\/strong>. But that\u2019s not to say that these guys have it easy. Heat, drought and hunger due to vanishing habitat are amongst the dangers these amazing marsupials face.<\/p>\n


\nPicture credits<\/span>
\nKangaroo hopping: Christopher Meder, Dreamstime. Kangaroos grazing: Chris Klus, Dreamstime. Kangaroo mum with joey: Tim Hester, Dreamstime.<\/h5>\n

What did you make of our kangaroo facts? Leave a comment below and let us know!<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Next stop, Down Under! Join us as we learn all about one of Australia’s most amazing animals with our cool kangaroo facts… Fast kangaroo facts Scientific name: Macropus Family: Macropodidae Classification: Mammal IUCN status: Least concern Lifespan (in wild): Up to 23 years Weight: Around 90kg Body size: Over 2m in height Top speed: 56km\/h … Continue reading Kangaroo Facts!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[248,780,233,1008,641],"christmas-category":[],"class_list":["post-881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-animals","tag-animal-facts","tag-australia","tag-facts","tag-kangaroo","tag-wildlife","countries-australia","countries-ireland","countries-new-zealand","countries-south-africa","countries-united-kingdom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKangaroo Facts! 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