Kangaroo: Portrait of an Extraordinary Marsupial

Abstract

Picture a large Red Kangaroo lying under the shade of a tree on a hot day, its head up and its ears swivelling like antennae, tuned for the slightest sound of danger. The alarm given, the animal bounds into action, its muscular body and unique, spring-like hind-legs allowing it to leap effortlessly over the red sands of central Australia. It's an image of power, grace and efficiency. The Red Kangaroo may be the archetypal image of 'the kangaroo' but there are, in fact, nearly 80 species of 'kangaroo' in Australia, New Guinea and their surrounding islands. Strictly speaking, only the largest of these magnificent hopping animals are, officially, 'kangaroos'. Those that are medium-sized are known as wallabies, while the smaller species go by fascinating names like pademelon, narbalek, quokka, mala, boodie, woylie, potoroo and bettong - to name just a few.