This story is based on an Aboriginal Dreaming story that explains how kangaroos got their tails. It describes how a grey kangaroo tricks a brown kangaroo into reaching into a hole to get sugarbag, but he only pulls out spiders. When the grey kangaroo eats all the sugarbag, the brown kangaroo gets angry and they fight with sticks. During the fight, they throw their sticks at each other and the sticks get stuck to their tails, explaining why kangaroos have tails today.

1. Kangaroo
s
Got Their Tails
How the
"The following story is
based on a traditional
Aboriginal Dreaming story
from the Aboriginal people
of Arnhem Land, NT"

2. Back in the days of the Dreaming, two kangaroos lived in the country now
known as Australia. The large, brown kangaroo was from the plains and the
smaller, grey kangaroo was from the hills.

3. One day, the grey kangaroo really fancied some sugarbag (wild bush honey).
He went to look for some by following a swarm of bees to their hive.

4. Eventually, the grey kangaroo found some sugarbag in the hole of a rock. He
reached inside the hole and pulled out a handful of delicious sugarbag
straight away. It was very yummy and now the big, brown kangaroo also
wanted some for himself.

5. The grey kangaroo told him to reach his arm right into the hole to get the
sugarbag from the bottom. The brown kangaroo did this but all he pulled out
was a handful of spiders.

6. The brown kangaroo reached inside and tried again but only pulled out more
spiders. He was then very annoyed to see the grey kangaroo reach in with
his arms and pull out so much sugarbag that it was soon all gone as he had
eaten it all!

7. The brown kangaroo was now very angry about being tricked by the grey
kangaroo and went to break a stick off a nearby red bloodwood tree. He was
going to fight the grey kangaroo!

8. The grey kangaroo then went to get his own stick for the fight.

9. The kangaroos fought with their sticks.

10. During the fight, the grey kangaroo managed to throw his stick at the brown
kangaroo while it was running away and got it stuck onto his bottom!

11. The brown kangaroo was furious and, in turn, threw his stick at the grey
kangaroo. It also got stuck. After this, they didn’t know what to do and
hopped away to their own homes.

12. Now when you see a kangaroo, you know how they got their tails.