Mammals · Diprotodontia · Macropodidae

Antilopine Kangaroo

Osphranter antilopinus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The antilopine kangaroo is the only large kangaroo that lives in the monsoonal tropical savannah of northern Australia. It is slender with a reddish coat, the males clearly larger than the females. It grazes in the cool hours of dawn and dusk, and during the day seeks the shade of the eucalypts. It lives in groups that scatter and regroup through the day. Its breeding cycle is closely tied to the monsoon: most births coincide with the wet season, when grazing is plentiful.

Weight

16 kg – 49 kg

Size

80 cm – 1.2 m

Lifespan

16 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Crepuscular

Active above all at dawn and dusk.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaGrasslandHerbivore Crepuscular Savanna Grassland Mammal

1countries 5parks15same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe kangaroo of the tropics; it licks its forearms to cool down.
It is named for the reddish coat and the musky smell of the male, which reminded the first European naturalists of an African antelope.
It is the only large kangaroo living in the tropical savannah of the north and the one that best tolerates the humid heat of the Australian monsoon.