Amazing Kangaroo Facts for Kids

Click here for more animal facts

Kangaroos are marsupials. A marsupial is an animal that has a pouch and carries its baby in its pouch. Learn more about kangaroos with these amazing kangaroo facts for kids.

What is a Kangaroo?

Kangaroos are marsupials .  Marsupials are animals that have a pouch,  Marsupials carry their young in their pouch. Kangaroos are the largest marsupials on the planet. The 4 main species of kangaroos are red kangaroo(macropus rufus), antilopine kangaroo(macropus antilopinus), eastern grey kangaroo(macropus giganteus), and western grey kangaroo(macropus fuliginosus).

A female kangaroo is called a doe. A male kangaroo is called a buck. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. A group of kangaroos is called a mob.

The largest species of kangaroo is the red kangaroo

Kangaroo Habitat

They live mostly in Australia, but some sub-species of kangaroo can also be found in Papua New Guinea and Tasmania. 

What do Kangaroos Eat?

Kangaroos are herbivores. Herbivores are animals that don’t eat meat.  Kangaroos mostly eat grass, shoots and shrubs.

Baby Kangaroos

A baby kangaroo is called a joey. When a joey is born it is only about 1 inch long.

A joey will stay in their moms pouch for at least 4 months.

A joey can hop in and out of their mother’s pouch until they are about 10 months old.  After 10 months they leave their mom’s pouch for good.

two kangaroos

Amazing Kangaroo Facts for Kids

Here is a fun fact about kangaroos…they cannot walk backwards!

A group of kangaroos is called a mob. Mobs have 10-25 kangaroos. 

The average life span of  a kangaroo is 23 years.

Kangaroos can be 6 ft -10 ft tall.

Kangaroos can jump really far.  They can jump 25 ft in a single leap! Kangaroos use their tails to help balance while jumping.

Kangaroos can also run fast.  They can reach speeds of 35 miles per hour.

Kangaroos can swim.

Predators

Wild dogs called dingoes and feral cats are predators to a kangaroo. When a kangaroo feels threatened it will pound the ground with its feet and kick.When being attacked kangaroos will sometimes get in the water and try to drown their predator.