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Female Red Kangaroo with joey in pouch. Photographed at Australia Zoo.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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Young Red Kangaroo at rest. Photographed at Australia Zoo.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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Close up of joey in pouch.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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Large male photographed at Currumbin Sanctuary, Gold Coast, Australia.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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Red Kangaroo looking very laid back at Currumbin Sanctuary. They like to rest with a bit of shade during the heat of the day.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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Red Kangaroo with joey feeding at pouch. The joey is growing up but still likes to come back to mum for a feed. The female Red Kangaroo is a grey colour.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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Close up of front paw.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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RED KANGAROO FACTS |
Description
The Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus), is the largest living marsupial. It is able to go without drinking as long as green grass is available, and it adapts well to drought. In some areas both males and females are red, although sometimes the female is a blue-grey colour. Adult males often fight each other in breeding season, boxing with their front paws and kicking with their back legs.
Size
Males can be as tall as two metres and weigh up to 90 kilograms.
Habitat
Most of dry inland Australia, including desert, grassland, mallee and mulga country.
Food
Grasses and other green plants.
Breeding
Red Kangaroo Females are sexually mature at about eighteen months, males at about two years. There is a single young (Joey) born at a time. The joey remains in the pouch for 5-6 months. They gradually spend more time away from the pouch, jumping back in when they feel threatened. Joeys are usually weaned around 1 year of age. The female can have three young with her at same time - one as an embryo, one in the pouch and another out of the pouch still suckling.
Range
Western Australia through to western parts of Queensland and New South Wales
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Mammalia | | Order: | Diprotodontia | | Family: | Macropodidae | | Genus: | Macropus | | Species: | rufus | | Common Name: | Red Kangaroo |
Relatives in same Genus
Agile Wallaby (M. agilis)
Tammar Wallaby (M. eugenii)
Western Grey Kangaroo (M. fuliginosus)
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (M. giganteus)
Parma Wallaby (M. parma)
Whiptail Wallaby (M. parryi)
Common Wallaroo (M. robustus)
Red-necked Wallaby (M. rufogriseus)
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