National animal of australia: Kangaroo

1. Red Kangaroo

2.  The official animal of Australia
is the red Kangaroo, which may
not be necessarily red. The
official bird of Australia is the
Emu. Both these animals appear
on the Australian Coat of Arms,
which is embellished with
Golden Wattle - the official
floral symbol of Australia. Why
a Kanagaroo and an Emu?
Common theory has it that the
Kangaroo and the Emu are not
particulary good at walking
backwards, so they are symbolic
of Australia's determination to
move forward as a nation. Each
State and Territory of Australia
also have an animal, bird and
floral symbol.

4.  These are popular with visitors to the
Sanctuary, especially tourists from overseas
who have never seen a kangaroo up close.
 Red Kangaroos are classed as ‘least concern’
by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources (on the IUCN
‘red list’). Although the species is not
considered to be endangered, individual
animals are at risk, particularly from dog
attacks, natural disasters and motor vehicles.
They are among the more than 2,000 sick and
 injured native animals treated each year at the
Sanctuary’s Australian Wildlife Health Centre.

6.  Meeting the Red Kangaroos
at Healesville Sanctuary is
an important way to
connect with the animals of
Australia, and to learn
about the Sanctuary’s
conservation programs,
especially those aimed at
conserving threatened
native species. The money
you spend helps to support
the Sanctuary’s
conservation programs and
its care of native wildlife,
and helps fight species
extinction.

7.  Red Kangaroos are semi-nomadic and can be
found across most areas of Central Australia.
They show a preference for open plains where
shade trees are available such as Mulga and
Mallee Shrub. They feed on grasses and other
small plants, mostly at night, but also in the
early morning and late evening. Although Red
Kangaroos are considered common, their
numbers can drop in times of drought. During
these times they may have to compete with
sheep and cattle for food and fall prey to
Dingoes as rabbit populations decline.

9.  Red Kangaroos breed all year
round. Females give birth to a
single jelly bean-sized ‘joey’,
around 33 days after mating,
which will climb up its mother’s
belly and into the pouch where it
begins to suckle from one of the
teats. It remains attached and the
milk changes to meet its needs as
it grows. At about 6 months old,
the joey begins to leave the pouch
for short periods, when the
mother will usually give birth
again. The joeys are permanently
out of the pouch at about 8
months of age and normally
weaned by around 12 months but
can continue to suckle for up to
18 months.

11.  Kangaroos possess powerful hind legs, a long,
strong tail, and small front legs. Kangaroos
belong to the animal family Macropus, literally
"big foot." Thanks to their large feet, kangaroos
can leap some 30 feet (9 meters) in a single
bound, and travel more than 30 miles
(48 kilometers) per hour. Kangaroos use their
strong tails for balance while jumping. They
are the tallest of all marsupials, standing over 6
feet (2 meters) tall.

12.  Kangaroos live in Eastern Australia. They live
in small groups called troops or herds (“mobs”
by Australians), typically made up of 50 or
more animals. If threatened, kangaroos pound
the ground with their strong feet in warning.
Fighting kangaroos kick opponents, and
sometimes bite.

13.  Female kangaroos sport a pouch on their belly,
made by a fold in the skin, to cradle baby
kangaroos called joeys. Newborn joeys are just one
inch long (2.5 centimeters) at birth, or about the
size of a grape. After birth, joeys travel, unassisted,
through their mom’s thick fur to the comfort and
safety of the pouch. A newborn joey can’t suckle or
swallow, so the kangaroo mom uses her muscles to
pump milk down its throat. At around 4 months,
the joey emerges from the pouch for short trips
and to graze on grass and small shrubs. At 10
months, the joey is mature enough to leave the
pouch for good.

14.  Besides humans and wild dogs called dingoes,
kangaroos face few natural predators. Heat,
drought, and hunger due to vanishing habitat
are the biggest dangers kangaroos face.