Marsupial Spotlight: Red Kangaroo

The red kangaroo is widely consider the most notable and common kangaroo in existence. They are also the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia. But how about we go all the way and say they are the largest extant marsupial in the world. It's true! But where do you find these guys? Answer: Just go to Australia and look around. You will very likely see one hopping about.

As mentioned before, the red kangaroo is very large. It sports a body length of 5.2 feet with a long tail that adds another 3.9 feet to its total length. Its legs are very powerful for both fighting and leaping. As to the latter, the red kangaroo is amazing at leaping. It can cover almost 30 feet in a single leap sometimes reaching heights of 10 feet in a single bound. If Superman was an animal, he might be a red kangaroo.

Red kangaroos are herbivores and enjoy many of the plants in the bush. They like to group up into bunches; however, this activity is more common with the females and their offspring--called joeys. Like with the wallabies, they have a terrible time with cars. Car manufacturers in Australia usually offer special additions to the front of the car known as "roo bars" which prevent damage to the vehicle when they have an unfortunate collision with the animal. Apparently, it is a very common problem.

Red kangaroos are macropods; all kangaroos are. They have a large pouch that hold their young while they are being nourished and also while under the protection of the mother. But let me take a moment to talk about more sexual things. I'll keep it all in the next paragraph in case you want to skip it.

*Adult Content Below*

As I have said, there are a lot of weird things when it comes to marsupials. Red kangaroos--as well as other breeds--keep their testicles above their penis which is unusual in contrast to other animals as well as humans. The penis itself is prehensile which means they can move it at will. The idea of this strikes me as severely bizarre and even rather creepy.

*Okay, You're Safe Now!*

Since red kangaroos are the most common, they are generally the ones used in fiction. In 1899, music teacher Ethel Pedley wrote a very good book called "Dot and the Kangaroo." It was the only book the woman ever wrote, and might I say, it was wonderful. Dot was a little girl who was lost in the bush, and a red kangaroo felt sorry for her and decided to protect her. She gave the girl magical berries that allowed her to talk to animals and also let her ride in her pouch as they tried to find out where Dot's home was.

Although, Dot meets many interesting animals in the bush, the red kangaroo is a constant companion and really took over the job of mother to the poor girl. I think a lot of children love this book because of the wonderful idea of getting to ride in a kangaroo pouch. Doesn't that sound fun?! Additionally, I thought it was really cute how the kangaroo pointed out that kangaroos never think; they only "jump" to conclusions!

The book also clearly depicted how kangaroos fight--and even kill--in the wild. A poor dingo--a native canine breed--made a poor decision to attack the red kangaroo on his own. Dot actually watched as the poor canine was disemboweled by the kangaroos feet. Quite violent for a children's book; however, I still recommend it for reading.

In 1977, the book was adapted into a movie that was partly live action and part animated. I have not seen this film, but it must have been great because it had 8 sequels. Growing up, I had a betamax tape of the 5th Dot movie called "Dot and Keeto." This movie almost entirely revolved around insects; however, it still ended with Dot being saved by her old friend the red kangaroo. Highly recommended film for children.

Red kangaroos are big and powerful and not to be taken lightly. If I were to make a fictional character entirely based on their merits, I would make them a strong powerful people. I see them as survivalists and soldiers of fortune. I also see them as wise-crackers and practical jokers. Sure, they are extremely capable, but would you really be comfortable working with them?

The red kangaroo is a fun marsupial and really represents the bigness that we always think about when Australia comes to mind. Like many marsupials, they are both weird and wonderful, but there are so many more to come. Look forward to it!

Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. G'day!

Illustration from Ethel Pedley's "Dot and the Kangaroo."