Kangaroo Handpuppet 25cm

Physical Characteristics
The kangaroo is the world's largest marsupial! They grow to about 1-1.6m tall with a tail up to a meter long, and weigh up to 90kg. Red kangaroos hop along on their powerful hind legs and do so at great speed. A red kangaroo can reach speeds of over 35 miles an hour. Their bounding gate allows them to cover 8 meters in a single leap and to jump 1.8 meters high. Female red kangaroos are smaller, lighter, and faster than males. They also boast a blue-hued coat, so many Australians call them "blue fliers." They live up to 23 years.

Habitat
Kangaroos live in Australia's deserts and open grasslands.

Behaviour
Kangaroos are social animals that live in groups or "mobs" of at least two or three up to 100 kangaroos. Male kangaroos "box", either in play, when asserting their dominance or in serious competition over females. The punching of the front legs is pretty harmless, but the powerful hind legs with their long sharp toenails are a dangerous weapon.

Breeding
Female kangaroos have one baby at a time, which at birth is smaller than a cherry. The infant immediately climbs into its mother's pouch and does not emerge for two months. Until they reach about eight months of age, threatened young kangaroos, called joeys, will quickly dive for the safety of mum's pouch. As they grow, joeys' heads and feet can often be seen hanging out of the pouch.

Diet
Kangaroos primarily eat grass and other vegetation, feeding in the early morning and late afternoon/evening towards sunset. Besides grass, they eat young shoots and tender leaves. They enjoy grains as well, but being herbivorous, they do not eat any other animals. Kangaroos are grazing animals, and they will regurgitate their food to chew like cattle chew their cud.

Strange and Interesting Facts
Considerable numbers of kangaroos are killed each year for their skins and meat, which is becoming a more popular human food. Most kangaroos can only move both back legs together - and not one at a time. On the Australian coat of arms, the Kangaroo and the Emu were selected as symbols of Australia to represent progress because they are always moving forward.