Desert · Mammal
Red kangaroo
Osphranter rufus
The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial in the world. Hopping on its powerful back legs, it covers long distances using very little energy.
- Where it lives
- The dry outback of Australia
- Diet
- HerbivoreEats plants
- Weight
- 20–90 kg
- Height
- 1.5 m
- Top speed
- 55 km/h
- Lifespan (wild)
- 12–22 years
In Pawpedia: What is a mammal?What is a herbivore?
Yaman scale
Drawn side by side with Yaman, to the same scale.
Height1Yamans
Red kangaroo: height 1.5 m — that's 1 times Yaman's height.
Weight1.6Yamans
Around 55 kg — as heavy as 1.6 Yamans.
Common questions
Where does the red kangaroo live?
- The dry outback of Australia. In our zoo it lives in the Desert zone.
What does the red kangaroo eat?
- It is a herbivore: it eats plants.
How big does the red kangaroo get?
- Height: 1.5 m. It weighs 20–90 kg.
How long does the red kangaroo live?
- 12–22 years in the wild.
How fast is the red kangaroo?
- It can reach about 55 km/h.
Is the red kangaroo endangered?
- On the IUCN Red List it is listed as least concern. Plenty of them in the wild.
Did you know?
- It can cover up to 8 metres in a single hop.
- Its baby is born as small as a jelly bean and grows up in its mother's pouch.
- It uses its thick tail like a fifth leg for balance and for sitting.
How safe is it?
- LC
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Least concern. Plenty of them in the wild.
IUCN Red List
