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Welcome to the Kangaroo page! Did you know that there are about 50 kinds of kangaroos in Africa? Did you also know that a champion jumper can reach about 25 feet or more? They can also reach speeds of 25 miles an hour. On this page you will find more interesting facts about kangaroos.
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| Animal Communication |
Most kangaroos make few noises even when they’re hungry, excited or distressed. They do sometimes make low grunts and coughs that can be signs of submission between males. Red kangaroos “click” while female grey kangaroos “cluck” to summon their young. When a kangaroo senses danger, it alerts others by thumping its hind legs on the ground. Kangaroos are sometimes attacked by dingoes (wild dogs). Most of the time kangaroos live alone or in small groups that are made up of a mother and her young. Did you know that kangaroos called wallabies push with their front legs? They use their back legs to kick at each other.
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| Physical Characteristics |
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Kangaroos belong to
a group of animals called marsupials. A marsupial is a
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| Habitat |
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Some kangaroos live at the zoo. Have you ever seen one there? Are there kangaroos at your local zoo? Check it out!
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| Food |
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Kangaroos usually eat at
night on grass and low plants. Sometimes a kangaroo will go from
the evening until morning without drinking any water.
In a drought, large mobs (groups of kangaroos) move into farmlands, parks and even golf courses to find food. Then humans start calling them pests, and sometimes they get killed.
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| Growth & Reproduction |
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| Other Interesting Facts |
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| Citations |
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Periodical Kowalski, Kathiann M. "Koalas, Kangaroos, and More." Faces. May 2005, Vol. 21 Issue 9, p20-23. Online Resource Augee, Michael L "Kangaroo" World Online Reference center. 2006. World book online. 24 Apr. 2006. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/article?id=ar294720>. Images Copyrighted images of kangaroo in grass, leaves, and kangaroo hiding from "Classroom Clipart" <http://classroomclipart.com/> February, 2006. Images can be used solely educational purposes in K-12 classrooms. Copyrighted images
of animation of kangaroo at top of page from "Microsoft
Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?lc=en-us&cag=1>
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mammal. Female marsupials have pouches for their babies. A
kangaroo has long, hind, hopping limbs, short
arms, and a large heavy tail. The tail is used to help them keep their
balance. The fur on the backs of male kangaroos is red. The fur on
the backs of females is grey. Both males and females have
white bellies.
Kangaroos also have large ears which they can use to hear things from far away.
There
are about 50 different kinds of kangaroos living in Australia. Kangaroos
also live in New Guinea and on nearby islands. Kangaroos live in grasslands,
forests, and deserts. They also live in the open arid plains and
woodlands of central Australia. They should live all over the
world because of their beauty (but that's just my opinion). 
A
baby kangaroo, also known as a "joey," is even more helpless than a human infant.
A joey is blind and is about the size of a
honeybee. It is about one inch long and weighs very little. After
it's born, it crawls up its mother's fur and then into her pouch. Once it is there
it finds a nipple and starts feeding and starts its new life.