Mammals · Diprotodontia · Macropodidae

Red Kangaroo

Osphranter rufus

Least Concern

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

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The largest marsupial in the world, able to bound as far as nine metres on its powerful hind legs.

Weight

18 kg – 90 kg

Size

85 cm – 1.4 m

Lifespan

8 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Crepuscular

Active above all at dawn and dusk.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Some 11.5 million animals according to official estimates from the Australian Department of the Environment; the figures swing widely from year to year depending on the preceding rainfall

DesertGrasslandMarsupial Herbivore Crepuscular In herds Desert Grassland Mammal

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Fun facts

Its mammary glands produce milk of a different composition for each stage of a joey's development.
It can reach 70 km/h over a short sprint.
It eats grasses and herbs, favouring soft green shoots.
It lives on open plains, desert and arid scrub of inland Australia.
The joey stays in the pouch for about eight months.
reproducciónFemales can pause an embryo's development (embryonic diapause) until conditions are right for the birth.
It almost never needs to drink.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (marsupial mammal)
Habitat & environment: Open plains, desert and arid scrub of inland Australia
Birth weight: ~0.75-0.8 grams (the size of a grain of rice)
Size at birth: 2.5 cm long at birth, wholly helpless and blind
Sexual maturity: Female: 15-24 months | Male: ~26 months (though he cannot breed effectively until he gains dominance)
Gestation / incubation: 30-34 days
Litter / clutch size: 1 young, with embryonic diapause able to hold a second embryo back
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 25-30 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Pueblo Zoo; Bright's Zoo; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Corner; Animal Diversity Web; Australian Museum; Caversham Wildlife; PMC (juvenile feeding biology study); IUCN Red List (Preocupación menor): especie ampliamente distribuida y abundante en la Australia árida y semiárida, con números que fluctúan con las lluvias || Departamento de Medio Ambiente de Australia, estimaciones de abundancia de macropódidos; IUCN Red List