The red kangaroo is a marsupial from Macropodidae’s (macropods, meaning ‘large foot’). 

All members of this family, which comprises over 65 species ranging across Australia and New Guinea, are known as kangaroos.

A male red kangaroo is called a buck, a female is called a doe, and a young red kangaroo is called a joey.

Red Kangaroos sometimes live in large groups called mobs that consist of around 20 kangaroos.

A group of kangaroos is referred to as a ‘mob’ or a ‘court’.

The average size of the red kangaroo is about 1.5 m tall (about 5 feet), and weighs about 90 kg (200 pounds).

The average life span of the kangaroo is about 10 years.

The tail for red kangaroos is used as its third leg when running at high speeds – they can jump over 35 miles an hour. 

The tail also helps it balance when jumping, recorded at up to 10 feet into the air and 30 feet forward!

What does a red kangaroo eat?

Red Kangaroos are herbivores and eat mostly grass, leaves, shoots, and berries.

Love And Family

Like all female marsupials, female red kangaroos have pouches that can expand, which carry their young. 

The breeding season is from August to December. 

During this time, the female kangaroo will have one or two joeys in her pouch for 6–7 months.

Female kangaroos usually only give birth to one baby each year. 

When the joey is born, it crawls into its mother’s pouch and attaches itself to a teat, which it uses like a nipple.

The joey lives there for 7–10 months before it can leave the pouch and hop around by itself.

Threats and conservation status

The IUCN currently lists the conservation status of “Macropus Rufus” as of “least concern” due to its large population size and stable numbers. However, these kangaroos are still hunted for their meat and skins, decreasing their numbers in the future.

 Even though they are so fast, they cannot always protect themselves against predators like dogs, dingoes, and foxes who attack them when they are not careful.

Red Kangaroo Habitat:

Red Kangaroos live in various habitats across Australia and New Guinea, including forests with open grasslands or sunny woodlands. The red kangaroo prefers regions with lots of rain to areas that receive less rainfall. They also need an area close to the water to drink when needed. 

Red Kangaroo Behavior

When they feel threatened, red kangaroos move their tails up and down. However, the opposite behavior is observed when they are relaxed; their tails will be hanging still.

Red kangaroos have large hind legs and feet that act as one leg when they run; the other ‘foot’ is its tail. 

Red kangaroos are very agile runners and can reach over 40 mph, making them one of the fastest animals on two legs.

Are red kangaroos dangerous?

Although they are huge animals, red kangaroos are pretty nice guys. Kangaroo attacks are rare and as long as you stay away from them or do not bother them, there is very little chance of being injured by one.

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