Weighing up to 92 kg (200 lb.) and standing at around 1.8 m (6 ft.) tall, the red kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroo species. In fact, the red kangaroo is the biggest marsupial in the world!
Male red kangaroos, called boomers, have reddish-brown fur, as implied by the name, red kangaroo. However, female red kangaroos, called blue fliers, often have blue-gray fur.
Both males and females have black and white markings around their muzzles and cheeks, and white fur on their bellies.
Red kangaroos live in the open plains, shrublands, deserts, and sparse woodlands of mainland Australia.
How Kangaroos Hop
Red kangaroos are great at hopping. They have powerful hind legs and can reach speeds up to 70 km/h (44 mph), though they usually hop around 25 km/h (15 mph). They use their long tails for balance and as a counterweight while on the move.
Red kangaroos can cover 9 m (30 ft.) in a single leap! That’s like jumping the length of two cars put together. They can also jump up to 2 m (6.5 ft.) high!
Kangaroos can travel great distances by hopping because for them, hopping is energy efficient. They have large, stretchy tendons in their hind legs which act like springs. In this way, they mostly use elastic energy to move.
What is elastic energy? Think about stretching out a spring and then letting it go. The spring snaps back together again. The same concept applies to kangaroos when they hop.
When a kangaroo’s feet are on the ground, the tendons in their legs get stretched out. The weight of the kangaroo does the work of stretching them. When the kangaroo leaps into the air, the tendons contract again, similar to the spring snapping back after being stretched.
The hopping motion does use some muscular energy, but most of the energy comes from this elastic energy.
Add to that, kangaroos don’t even have to waste energy breathing! When they hop, the motion moves their gut up and down, which acts to inflate and deflate their lungs.
What Red Kangaroos Eat
Red kangaroos eat grasses, forbs, and the leaves of shrubs. They typically feed in the evening and at night, when temperatures cool down.
How Red Kangaroos Stay Cool
Red kangaroos live in arid and semi arid areas, where temperatures can get quite high. To avoid heat stroke, red kangaroos typically rest in the shade during the hottest parts of the day.
Since they do not have the ability to sweat, red kangaroos lick their chests and forearms. When the saliva evaporates, it cools their blood.
They also cool themselves by digging shallow hollows to lie down in. Furthermore, their long, thick eyelashes protect their eyes from the glare of the sun and from dust.
Reproduction
When male red kangaroos try to attract mates, sometimes they box each other. They may lean back on their tails and kick each other with their strong hind legs. They also scratch and bite.
Red kangaroos breed year round, but they tend to give birth in the spring and summer. The gestation period for kangaroos is 28-33 days. However, female kangaroos have the ability to delay the birth of their baby (called a joey) for 7-8 months. This strategy, called embryonic diapause, helps kangaroos give birth when conditions are favorable.
When a joey is born, it is about the size of a jellybean. It is hairless and blind and uses its arms to climb all the way into its mother’s pouch.
For about 6 months, the joey stays in the pouch and nurses. From 6-8 months, the joey peeks out and may hop in and out of the pouch. After 8 months, the joey leaves the pouch, but still nurses until about 12 months.
Red kangaroos live in groups called mobs. On average, they live about 10 years in the wild but could live up to 22 years.
Conservation Status
According the IUCN Red List, the red kangaroo is a species of least concern. However, they are threatened by drought. They are also susceptible to predators like dogs and foxes.
What You Can Do to Help
If you would like to help red kangaroos, you can support organizations like Kangaroos Alive, which advocates for the ethical treatment of kangaroos.
Red Kangaroo Range
More Red Kangaroo Resources
- Australian Museum: Red Kangaroo
- National Geographic: Red Kangaroo
- Billabong Sanctuary: Red Kangaroo
- BBC’s Discover Wildlife: How and Why Do Kangaroos Hop?
- Cannistraro, JP. “Elastic Energy and the Kangaroo”
- VIDEO: Planet Earth: Amazing Kangaroo Technique to Stay Cool
- VIDEO: Brevard Zoo: See the Growth of a Kangaroo Baby
Quick Fact Sheet
Common Name(s): Red Kangaroo
Scientific Name: Osphranter rufus
Animal Type: mammal
Size: 1.8 m (6 ft.) tall
Weight: 92 kg (200 lb.)
Lifespan: Up to 22 years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
About the Author
Abi Cushman is a contributing editor of Animal Fact Guide and My House Rabbit. She is also an award-winning author and illustrator of funny picture books for kids, including Soaked!, Animals Go Vroom!, and Wombats Are Pretty Weird.
To learn more and to download free activity sheets, visit AbiCushman.com.
